


Zach Dempsey Didn't Deserve a Tape

by ZacharyCupcakeDempsey (arcanesupernova)



Series: 13 Reasons Why Oneshots [1]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Compliation, F/M, Reader Insert, Zach Dempsey only, one shots, raised to mature because I understand ao3 a little better now, this boy is my favorite boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-02-29 23:47:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 29,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18788740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanesupernova/pseuds/ZacharyCupcakeDempsey
Summary: A collection of one shots featuring Zach Dempsey from my tumblr zacharycupcakedempsey.tumblr.comHe's my damn muse, it's not my fault I liked writing for him so much hahaha.All A/N's are original from my tumblr when I originally wrote them.





	1. Zach Dempsey asking you out would include:

**Author's Note:**

> 94 for Zach? (because who doesn’t want more of Zach, am I right?!)
> 
> A/N: Thank you so much for the request!! I had a hard time with that prompt, mainly because I started and almost forgot to incorporate it. In any case, I hope you enjoy this. The song referenced is I Just Do by Dear in the Headlights and I linked it belong so you could check it out. I just. UGH. LOVE THAT SONG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey so I’m pretty much infatuated with Zach and so, obviously I spend too much time fantasizing thinking about what dating him would be like. There’s like 30 of these but I’ve read all of them and I wanna try my hand at them.

  * He asks you out while you’re working at the Baker’s Drug Store. You’ve noticed him coming in more and more, always buying something random.
  * When he buys a flyswatter, you finally have to ask him what’s going on.
  * He tells you his sister is keeping flies for a project and they’re driving him nuts.
  * You’re not buying it.
  * After enough prodding, he finally caves and tells you he thinks your really cute.
  * And funny.
  * And he likes your laugh.
  * And he loves making you laugh.
  * Blushing, he tries to excuse himself, thinking he’s overstepped. You tell him you get off at 8. He can’t quite look you in the eye but he keeps trying to.
  * You text him later that night, asking to hang out.
  * Five minutes later, he pulls up in his Audi. You ask him where he wants to go and you end up at Rosie’s Diner.
  * You order fries and a milkshake, but awkward silence fills the space between you because Zach can’t stop fidgeting. You finally break the ice by asking about school
  * You sit in that booth for two hours, just talking about random stuff, but its so easy. You never feel like Zach is judging you an d the only reason you leave is because the diner is closing up for the night.
  * The night air is cold, and since you don’t have a jacket, he offers you his, joking about how he won’t be mad if he doesn’t get it back.
  * The lining is soft and it smells like him. When he’s not looking, you smell the jacket and your heart skips a beat.
  * When he drops you off at home, you can feel the urge to kiss him burning in your chest, but you don’t want to be too forward. He’s hard to read, and he isn’t looking at you.
  * You say your goodbyes, and start to open your door to climb out, kicking yourself for being a chicken. As you stand up he grabs your wrist gently and says “Wait.”
  * He pulls you close to him and kisses you, seemingly on whim. You kiss him back deeply, adjusting yourself to kiss him deeper.
  * When you break apart, a comfortable silence fills the car, as you look at each other. You’re the first one to crack, a smile erupting on your face. He laughs and apologizes which you assure him he doesn’t need to by kissing him again.
  * The only reason you break apart is your mother starts calling you from the porch, your cheeks flush red and Zach chuckles. You tell him you’ll text him and he says he can’t wait to see you again.
  * You spend most of the night texting and Snapchatting back and forth, carrying out two completely different conversations the whole time.
  * You wear his hoodie to bed, sending him pictures and saying he’ll only get it back if he provides you with another one.
  * You fall asleep waiting on a response from him, your phone still in your hand.
  * When you wake up the next morning, there’s a text from him.
  * _“You make me so happy, Y/N.”_




	2. Wake Up From Reality

94 - Maybe you can wake up from reality!

 _Class project due in two weeks._  You wrote in your agenda. Stress was starting to rear its ugly head at you. Project for Comms, book report for English, 20+ math problems that honestly looked that French at this point. Your only saving grace amidst all this was a particular tall jock who was stealing glances from across the room. You made a face at him, resulting in a look of faux shock. Oh Zachary. He was the light at the end of the tunnel. While the teachers back was turned while she wrote the days discussion topic on the board, you slipped your phone out of your pocket and sent him a quick kiss emoji and watched like a hawk for him to see the message. He pulled out his phone and quickly unlocked it, grinning to himself and he quickly typed out a response.

“ _Bryce’s tonight?_ ”

Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you quickly nodded yes across the room at him. Normally you stayed away from Bryce’s, per Zach’s request. He never really gave you a reason why, but his tone whenever he told you to stay away was enough to honor his wishes. That being said, it was hard for you two to get alone time together, and Bryce’s parties definitely offered that. Plus, if Zach was suggesting it, you knew he’d be on watch for you.

The rest of the day dragged on and on, with your excitement brewing for tonight. That final bell rang and it was like a balloon of excitement exploding in your chest. You ran out of the classroom, on the hunt for that handsome boyfriend of yours. You found him, surrounded by his teammates, laughing at something Marcus had said. He looked around, looking for you and when his eyes finally found yours, he broke into that smile you knew was reserved for you. Needing to expel some of that excitement that had been building all day, you started skipping toward him, jumping up to give him a kiss that you’d been waiting all day for.

“Hey (Y/N), you coming to my party tonight?” Bryce asked coolly after Zach returned you to your feet. He didn’t let go though, opting to wrap his arms around your chest and hold you close to him.

“Yeah Bryce, we’ll be there.” he responded for you.

“It’s about damn time” Bryce said

“Dempsey’s been keeping you all to himself.” You saw Zach exchange a glance with Justin before pulling you tighter.

“Some things just aren’t supposed to be shared Walker.” He said, venom into his tone ever so slightly. Bryce gave him a look of ‘the fuck dude’ but Zach was already making his excuses to leave. He walked you to his car and graciously opened the door for you, closing it before climbing in on his side.

“No Justin tonight?” You ask, looking around for him.

“Nah, plus anytime I can get alone with you? I’m not questioning it.” He said, starting up his car. He pulled out his phone and opened Spotify, clearly searching for a song. “Jensen told me about this song the other day, the more and more I listen to it, the more and more I think of you.” he pressed the [play](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Djff-kZlWvic&t=YmJiYzY3ZTU0ODY2NzlmZTQxMzczMWVmMmUyZmM2NzllMGIwZjJjMyx5VEVUVFNDcA%3D%3D&b=t%3AWbOmZaGUAyowLPfSz78C_w&p=https%3A%2F%2Fzachcupcakedempsey.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F174240274133%2F94-for-zach-because-who-doesnt-want-more-of) button and a serious look came over his face.

🎵 _Oh so the words have all been said_  
The feeling’s old but it’s new to me  
I guess I’m scared to death but  
Oh I just love you Oh I just love you  
Telling my friends, “I gotta go”  
That I need rest  
But I’m running for the phone  
I think Casey knows but  
Oh I just love you Oh I just love you🎵

It wasn’t anything like Zach’s normal taste in music, but the song did speak to his sweet and sensitive side. When the chorus started, he put the car in drive and peeled out of the parking lot. You watched out the window as scenery sped by. The song ended, and Zach didn’t say anything. A different sing started playing, “Mo Bounce” by Iggy Azalea and he snorted and turned down the radio. He pulled up in front of your house and shut off the car. He finally stole a glance in your direction and saw tears trickling down your cheeks.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m so sorry.” He said hurriedly, moving to pull you closer.

“No no, I’m not upset. I’m happy.” you assure him, kissing his cheek. “I didn’t know how to say it myself, but I love you too Zach.” His cheeks tinged red, but a smile erupted on his face. He tilted your chin to look into your eyes. 

“I love you so much (Y/N). I knew on our first date, that you’re the only girl for me.” His lips met yours gently and in that kiss, you felt all your stresses melt away. 

“(Y/N), its time to come inside, you’ve got homework” your mom called to you. You cursed your mother and Zach smiled. 

“Text me when you’re ready later, okay? I can’t wait to see you tonight.” He said tenderly. Kissing you one last time before you climb out of the car. You wave as hell speeds off, meeting your mother on the porch as she shakes her head at the parting car.

Once homework and dinner had been finished, you texted Zach letting him know you were getting ready.

“ **I cannot wait to see you tonight beautiful** ” read his response. Butterflies erupted again as you tossed your phone on the bed and got dressed. You wore an outfit you knew would drive him crazy, hoping to get a little more than kissing done tonight. You wore your swimsuit underneath, hoping for a dip in the hot tub.

Saying goodbye to your parents, you squeal as the door shuts behind you. The top was down on the convertible so you could see Justin and Jessica already making out in the backseat. Zach wasn’t paying any attention to them however, his eyes seemed to be glued on you. You scamper over, opening the door yourself, which seemed to break him out of his spell.

“Oh shit, (Y/N), I’m sorry.” he said, shaking his head to try to clear it. “You look beautiful tonight. You look beautiful always, but tonight…” He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders as words failed him.

“Come on Dempsey, they’re gonna get started without us!” Justin yelled from the backseat. Zach cranked up the music and sped down the road. He was trying to do his due diligence to mind the road, but somehow his eyes kept finding you. Your legs especially, as he was trying to be subtle.

The party was in full swing when they finally arrived and you and Jess announced your arrival with a loud “whoo!” Justin and Zach went to fetch some drinks. You saw Justin glance back at you and nudge Zach. Zach smiled shyly and glanced back at you. He nodded at Justin and Jess grabbed your attention away.

“You guys are so cute together!” She exclaimed. “Have to know though, how is he in… ya know.” 

Your cheeks flush red. “We haven’t, um, gotten that far.” You tell her sheepishly. She elbows you in complete surprise.

“You’re kidding!” She giggles. “You’ve been together for like, 2 months. What are you waiting for?!”

“We’re taking things slow I guess.” You shrug. “Good things come to those who wait, right?”

“At this rate, (Y/N), you’re never going to want to stop.” She giggled.

“Oh God I hope so.”

The boys return with the drinks and you start pounding them back. Eventually you, Zach, Justin and Jess find your way into the hot tub, completely wasted. Zach was the only one who hadn’t gotten more than 3 drinks in him and even as drunk as you are, you can tell he’s watching Bryce.

“Maybe you could just, wake up from reality.” Jess says. The words are slurred as she speaks them, but there’s a sense of seriousness to them. Everyone in the hot tub stares at her but she breaks into a chuckle. “God I must be drunk.” She says giggling. Her eyes look haunted but it’s only a second before she’s mounted back on top of Justin, kissing him passionately.

You look at Zach and he just shrugs, watching the couple. He pulls you into an embrace and kisses your forehead.

“So did you pick that outfit specifically to mess with me… Or?” He asks, giving you a fake glare.

“That doesn’t even remotely sound like something I’d do.” you smirk. “Why? Did it work?”

His face looked restrained as he spoke. “I probably would’ve wrecked my car looking at you if I wasn’t scared of you getting hurt.” He paused thoughtfully. “You are everything I could’ve wanted or asked for (Y/N).” His tone with serious, but soft. He looked at you like you were the only thing on the planet. “I love you (Y/N).”

“I love you Zachary.”


	3. The Small Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a very trigger heavy story, specifically to do with self harm. I’ve struggled with it since I was 13 and while I haven’t done it in a very long time, its always at the back of my mind as an unwelcome option.
> 
> This was very cathartic for me to write, so while this might seem like “romanticizing” self harm or mental illness, I tried to end it on a very logical stand point, also one that I could definitely see Zach taking because if he can logic through Alex getting hard while fighting with him, then I think he would be very logical through something like that. A side note, I used reasons why I used to hurt myself. I’m sorry if that doesn’t make sense to you. I’m really hoping that of all the fandoms, this one will let me speak freely and express the things I keep so close to the chest. Thank you, and please, be kind.

Seeing red crimson bubble up from your skin made you gasp and then sigh in relief. You felt ashamed of yourself for going back to it, but you couldn’t stop thinking about it. Whenever you felt afraid, you thought of that small box in your bedside table. Your parents had gotten it for you years ago on a vacation. They’d be ashamed of you for what it held now.

_Shame._

Tears burned your cheeks as you put the box back in the drawer. You picked up the blood stained washcloth from within and pressed it down on the fresh wound, tears flowing freely. Everything scared you lately it seemed. Your phone buzzes and even that manages to startle you. There’s a text from Zach in the middle of the screen, flooring you.

“ **Hey babe, I’ll be there soon okay?** ” The message read and you stared at your phone, not even seeing it anymore. Zach was supposed to fix this. He made you so happy. The way he looked at you, his smile. It was the only thing that could right the world when it seemed to be falling apart. The only problem is you’d grown so dependent on him, which didn’t quite work out with his busy schedule. The only time you really got with him was at night, and even then, he was falling asleep on you. Still, first thing in the morning you’d receive an apology via text, and an extra long kiss when he’d pick you up. It was starting to feel like to much to put on him, so you didn’t talk to him about it. What was the point? To stress him out more? No thanks. You knew you weren’t worth it and fear would course through your veins at the thought of him leaving you because you were fucked up.

_Fear._

It was an endless cycle as it would have you back in the box again, feeling ashamed and wrong. You eyed it now, opting to close the drawer than give in to the urge, knowing Zach could be there any moment. You wrapped your black scrunchie around your wrist, wincing as the elastic snapped and rubbed against the wound. You ignored it and head into your bathroom, trying to clear the ruined makeup from under your eyes. You didn’t want Zach to worry, in fact that was the last thing you wanted.

Your phone buzzed as you flushed the last of the used toilet paper down the toilet. You didn’t even read the message after reading Zach name and as your excitement got the best of you, you all but ran to your front door to greet him. Except he wasn’t there. Confused, you looked back at your phone to actually read his message.

“ **Hey babe, team emergency. I have to go over to Bryce’s tonight. I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll make it up to you.** ” The message read. You felt the warm tears slide down your cheeks as you hastily respond.

“ **Oh, okay. I miss you Zachy.** ” was all you’d allow yourself to say before dissolving into tears. You didn’t know why this was affecting you so harshly. This wasn’t anything new. Bryce would always interfere with your plans seemingly trying to tear you apart. You didn’t like going over there. Bryce and Monty always seemed to be whispering something behind your back and when you’d ask Zach, he’d just shrug it off and tell you not to worry about it. So you stopped going. He pouted the first time, saying the guys missed you and more importantly he missed you. The second time, he didn’t argue when you turned down the invitation. There wasn’t a third time, he didn’t even bother asking.

“ **You could come over, if you wanted.** ” He responded. You debated for a moment, but put the phone down, opting to just lay in your bed and listen to music than reply. There was a million things you wanted to say to him, but you didn’t bother. You knew it didn’t matter. Your phone buzzed again, but this time you decided to just ignore it, rolling over to not even have to look at it. You drifted off at some point, dreaming of Zach finding out about that small box. He screamed at you, called you an idiot and told him he never wanted to see you again. A small knock on your door woke you up, but you could still hear the hate in his voice from your dreams. Your heart was racing and you push the blankets off of you because your skin felt like it was on fire. The dream was so vivid.

“Hey, (Y/N), Zach is here, are you decent?” Your mom calls through the door. Your heart races and your eyes flick to your alarm clock. You’d only been asleep for an hour.

“Yeah Mom” You say, trying to keep your tone even as you rub your eyes. The door slowly creaked open and there your gargantuan of a boyfriend stood sheepishly. Your mom warned you about keeping the door cracked but you rolled your eyes at Zach, smiling softly at each other. You hated that he could do this to you, that just seeing that damned smile of his lifts all your concerns and worries. You climb off your bed and pull him in the room with you, slowly closing the door behind him. He chuckled and the sound made you want to melt right into him.

“What are you doing here?” You finally ask after the silence between you had grown awkward. “I thought there was a team emergency.”

“I missed you. Bryce was just throwing a stupid fucking party.” He told you as he sat on your bed. “Plus you’ve been acting different lately. You’ve been so distant.” His tone was serious, but gentle.

“It’s nothing babe, seriously. Just stress from school.” You paused, considering your words carefully. “Plus I’ve missed you, but you just don’t seem to have any time for me lately. Which, I get. You’ve got so much going on. It’s not like it was this summer, when we had all the time in the world.” You start pacing back and forth, trying to rationalize telling him all this. “You’ve got your team, schoolwork. You’re always so tired. Being the school superstar can be like that sometimes.” You didn’t really notice as your voice starts trembling and tears leaked down your face. “And I hate myself for telling you this because I know I’m just piling more stress on you and I’d understand if you want to take a break from being together but I just don’t know what I’d do without you, I know I’m asking for a lot but I just -” He pulled you into his lap from your pace and kissed you deeply. You gave him a watery chuckle, privately thanking him for interrupting your rambling.

He looked into your eyes thoughtfully as he held you close to him. He looked to be choosing his words carefully but being in his arms, he could tell you the house was on fire and you wouldn’t care. You just felt so safe. He brought his face down to meet yours, softly kissing you again.

“You really don’t understand what you mean to me do you (Y/N)?” He said softly. “You are the first thing I think of every morning and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep.” He paused. “Why won’t you come with me to Bryce’s anymore?”

It was your turn to carefully choose your words. You moved to sit next to him, still holding his hand. “Zach, I don’t feel comfortable there. I’ve tried to talk to you about this before. Bryce and Monty… they always seem like they’re saying something gross about me when I’m not listening.”

“Babe, they’re just guys.” He says defensively. “Just ignore them. They know you’re there with me anyway. They’re not going to do anything.”

“You mean like how Bryce didn’t do anything to Jessica Davis?” You shot darkly at him.

“Justin said nothing happened.” He told you plainly. “I think he would know.”

“We were in the next room. You were really fucked up but I heard everything.”

Tense silence filled the space between you. You let go of his hand and moved away from him.

“I would never let him touch you.” He growled. “I’d kill him before he tried.”

“Then why do you insist on hanging out with him still? If you even think he would do something like that, why are you his friend?” You ask him, venom coursing through your voice.

“What would you have me do (Y/N)?” He asked, looking directly at you. “Quit the team? Lose my scholarships? I only hang around him because I have to. Life goes past high school. Bryce is gross and the way he talks about women, the way he’s talked about you? It kills me. But I have to just laugh it off because past high school, he’ll be out of my life forever.” He’s staring at his hands as he speaks, his voice trembling. “I keep telling myself, just a little bit longer and I’ll never have to hear him comment on how you must be a freak in bed, or how you have such a tight little ass. It makes my blood boil and I’m such a fucking coward that I can’t do anything about it.”

“Zach, babe, you’ve never been a coward.” You try to say comfortingly, resting your hand on his back. He shrugs it off and looks at you, tears falling down his cheeks.

“I blew you off today to hang out with him because I’m afraid of what he’ll do if he thinks he doesn’t have me under his thumb anymore. The entire time I stared at my phone waiting for you to respond. Every second killed me, (Y/N). I just wanted to see you and touch you and kiss you and…” He trailed off, thinking of territory not yet charted. “I couldn’t stand it anymore so I left.” Familiar silence fell between you. “I wish I could just quit going over there, I wish I could quit the team and just focus on you, but I want to build this great future but I can’t do that without these scholarships. But there’s no great future without you.” He looked at you, despair in his eyes, begging you to understand. And you did, it just felt like it was tearing your heart out. “When I think of the future, all I think of is you.” He took your hands into his, and kissed them. But that scrunchie, where’d it go? Your eyes flashed to the fresh wound and the scars surrounding it. To your fear, his eyes followed yours. Shame flooded you to your core, and you pulled your hands away from his.

 _Fear_.

_Shame._

“(Y/N), what the fuck is that?” He blurted out, standing up and hovering over you. A million excuses came to mind and maybe one would’ve worked, but as you stuttered out a response, he pulled up your sleeve to excuse hundreds of tiny white lines sprinkled across your skin. There was no excuse plausible enough to make sense. “Baby, no.” He said, kissing your arms, tears pouring down his face. “Is this… is this because of me?” He asked shakily, trying to regain his calm.

“No…” You say weakly. “And yes… It’s not your fault. I just get so scared sometimes. This brings me back to reality.”

“You’re afraid of me?” He asks, his voice breaking.

“No, no, of course not.” You assure him, looking into his eyes, pleading for him to understand. “I’m so scared of losing you. You make everything okay. And sometimes, I convince myself that I’m not going to have you in my life much longer. And that scares the shit out of me.” You pause, focusing on your hands. “I worry what my future holds in particular. I’m going to college in a few years, what if I don’t like that? What if I’m miserable and I hate it and I drop out and my life is ruined?” Your voice finally cracks. “What if I never stop feeling this way?”

“Babe, you just have to see a doctor. I’ll help you find one if you want. And I’m always here for you, always. Please stop focusing on me. Worry about getting yourself right.” He kissed you softly. “I will always be here to listen to you, whenever you need me to.” He looked you intently in your eyes. “No matter what time it is. We can fight this. You’re not alone.”

Your body feels so tired and while you want nothing more than to continue talking to him, exhaustion is taking over.

“Will, will you stay here with me tonight?” You ask tenderly.

“Of course.”


	4. Boys Can Be So Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: “Heyy can I request a zach imagine, where the reader and zach are at the dance in s2 but they are fighting or something, and they make up. However you wanna write it I don’t mind. Thanks :) Whatever imagine that includes zach it’s great”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I had waaay too much fun writing this. You tell me you want a fight and every fight I was too scared to have propels me into fictional writing. Hahaha. That being said, I hope I didn’t make Zach too unlikable in this one, it really wasn’t my intent, I just get carried away sometimes. Also, I was not trying to be a dick to Alex, in my head, there is no Alex having a crush on you too or anything, fuck this is going to be longer than the imagine if I don’t shut up. Hahaha.

Boy can be so goddamn stupid. There’s only a select number of dances in the year, and your darling, sweet idiot of a boyfriend stood you up because the “boys” needed him to go with one of the cheerleaders to “fit in”. You almost wanted to stay home, and cry yourself to sleep but if there was one thing that you’d learned in life was that these idiotic boys weren’t worth crying over. Instead, you were going to make him regret ever joining that team. The day Zach broke the news to you, you went to the mall, bought the most curve hugging dress you could find and a pair of heels tall enough to stand eye to eye with that gargantuan idiot. You asked Alex if he wanted to be your date for the night, and after repeatedly explaining to him why you wouldn’t be going with Zach, he begrudgingly agreed. The night of the dance, you spent hours doing your hair and makeup, specifically doing it in a way that you knew would drive him crazy. The little black dress you bought clung to you in all the right places and while you weren’t sure if you could really walk in the heels, damn if you weren’t going to try.

When Alex arrived to pick you up, his jaw about hit the floor. “Are you sure you aren’t going with Zach tonight?” He asked for the thousandth time.

“Alex, if you ask me that again, I swear to god I will use these shoes as the deadly weapon they’ve been begging to be.” You glared at him.

“Alright, alright.” He said, raising his hands in surrender. “Stand down. I just don’t understand why you’re wearing all that when we’re going to the dance together as friends.”

“Alright, listen Alex. Zach blew me off for this dance, because apparently the ‘team’ gets final say on who you date or whatever-”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, I think Bryce just recommended-” He interjected.

“Doesn’t matter.” You tell him, brushing the semantics off. “If his team is going to be worth more than me, then he’s going to realize how grave of an error he’s made.” Venom fuels your words at the end and Alex doesn’t question you further. After your mother takes some pictures for the mantle and expresses her disapproval of your dress, you and Alex hop into the car his dad rented for the night. You turn up the radio and start singing at the top of your lungs to whatever pop music comes on. It’s mostly effective to calming your nerves, but also gets your adrenaline running. This boy isn’t going to know what hit him. When you get to the school, Alex hurries around the car to open your door and help you out. The two of you laugh and giggle on your way into the school, walking arm in arm. Your balance in the heels surprises you, but you also have to wonder if it’s pure strength of will getting you this far.

After taking your pictures at the entrance, you finally enter the now beautiful gymnasium. It didn’t even look like the same room a bunch of sweaty boys ran up and down as they fought over a ball. The ceiling was beautifully decorated with black and silver streamers and ornaments. This year’s theme was “Vintage Hollywood” and the committee went all out. You were busy taking in the atmosphere when Alex nudge you to inform you that he’d spotted Zach. It seemed as though Zach hadn’t exactly noticed you however, which you were thankful for. He looked dashing as ever in his vintage suit but he didn’t look even remotely happy. Sure he’d laugh at his friends stupid jokes, but a couple seconds after you started watching, you saw his “date” vying for his attention, him shrug her off and her skulk off in a huff. A smirk tickled your cheeks as you relay what you saw to Alex. He just snorted at you, before asking you to dance.

As he leads you out onto the dance floor, a slow song starts to play and you’re privately thankful for that. These shoes were going to be the death of you and the slower you moved, the better. It was weird to be slow dancing with Alex though. He was your best friend, sure, but the dances you always saved for him were the fast, look like an idiot dances. True to his character though, he didn’t make it any weird than it had to and kept his hands in the appropriate places. Once the dance was over, you peeked around to look for Zach and was annoyed to see that he was gone.

“Where the fuck did he go?” You mutter under your breath. Alex also looked around and nudged you to point him out, right as he made his way out the the gym doors. “Jesus fucking Christ, whatever.” You swear under your breath. “I need something to drink.” You and Alex make your way over to the punch bowl. You turn to ask Alex if he wanted the spiked stuff or not to find Alex gone and Zach in his place. You scrunch up your nose in irritation at him, although inside you were leaping for joy. It’s about damn time he realized you were here. The look on his face told you he wasn’t happy about it either. In fact, he looked pissed. He tried to pull you over to the bleachers, but you ripped your wrist out of his grip. When he turned around to see what was wrong you just gestured at your shoes. “I cannot move that damn fast.” You shout over the music. He starts walking away but this time you follow him. Once outside he turns around, practically fuming.

“What the fuck (Y/N)? Seriously, what the fuck?” He says, his frustration bubbling over.

“What are you talking about?” You ask him venomously.

“You know what the fuck I’m talking about. What are you doing here, looking like that, with Alex?” He asks.

“I’m not allowed to go to a dance with a friend? I mean, my boyfriend wasn’t going to be taking me so I figure I have to go with someone.” You shot back.

“Oh don’t even start with that shit.” Zach spat. “I didn’t like it anymore than you did. That doesn’t mean you have to ‘get back at me’.”

“You liked it enough to go along with it.” You yelled, your temper getting the best of you. “ Just once I’d like to be just a little more important than your stupid teams.”

“These stupid teams are giving me my fucking future (Y/N).” Zach retorted. “Without them, there’s no scholarships, and I can’t do whatever I want with my life which at this exact moment is not deal with this petty ass bullshit.

“You can be on the team and still be my fucking boyfriend Zachary.” You roared. “It’s as easy as setting fucking boundaries. How do you think it feels for me Zach? To be so fucking secondary to be put on the back burner so you can keep up appearances. I can’t do this anymore. I’m not playing second fiddle to some stupid cheerleader. Either you love me and you’re proud of me like you claim, or just fucking break if off and let me get the hell over you.” Tears were forming in your eyes now, the pain you were trying so hard to push down was finally bubbling over the surface. Zach tried to put his hand on your shoulder but you pulled away from him, swaying slightly on your heels.

“Look, (Y/N), I love you, you know I do. I shouldn’t have gone to the dance with Cheryl. Bryce just pressured me into it.” Zach apologized. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you either. Just seeing you here tonight, looking like you do and being all over Alex-”

“All over Alex?” You let out a laugh, one that turned into giggling. “Alex is my best fucking friend, you know that. We danced. That’s literally it.”

“I’m sorry.” He said. “The way you look tonight.” He looked you up and down. “You just look so fucking hot. I couldn’t take it.” You feel your cheeks flush. “You just drive me wild baby.”

“Zach?” A voice called out. Cheryl. The chick he brought as a date tonight. “What are you doing out here? Who is she?” The girl asked, looking you up and down.

“Shit. Okay see, Cheryl, this is my girlfriend, (Y/N).” Zach said, anxiously.

“Okay, but you don’t have a girlfriend, that’s why you asked me to the dance.” She said, eyes narrowed. “You explicitly told me you weren’t dating (Y/N).” She looked to you. “I asked.”

“Oh really Zach. How ashamed of me are you?” You turn to him, temper flaring again.

“It’s not that.” Zach stuttered. “I just- I hate the drama. I just wanted to keep you to myself. I love you, (Y/N).”

“Good for fucking you!” You shout at him. “You’re an idiot! An absolute fucking idiot.” You throw your hands up in exasperation and head back inside.

“(Y/N)! Please, goddammit, come on! (Y/N)!” Zach called after you, stopped by his date who was apparently giving him an earful. You find Alex on the bleachers and pulled him onto the dance floor.

“Whoa, what’s going on, what happened with Zach?” Alex asked once you stopped dragging him across the floor.

“Zach’s a fucking idiot.” You mumble under your breath.

“Well no shit, but that fucking idiot loves you.” Alex assures you.

“Well he’s got a funny fucking way of showing it.” You hiss. A slow song starts and you and Alex move close again to dance along. You see him looking behind you before pulling away to let Zach cut in. You roll your eyes at him. “What do you want?” You hiss.

“I want to fix this shit between us.” He says earnestly. “I just got lectured outside and put in my place.”

“Oh, well I’m glad someone can get you to see reason.” You say, rolling your eyes. He stops to look you in the eye.

“I’m serious (Y/N), I’m willing to change, as long as you’ll have me.”

“Oh so it’s either I take you back or I set you free to go be ashamed of some other girl?” You ask, eyes narrowed.

“Fuck this.” He pulls away from you and stalks off. Your eyes flood with tears again and you make your way to the door but a voice over the DJ’s speaker stops you in your tracks.

“Hey what’s up Liberty, its ya boy, Zach. I just have a special announcement to make because I have to set some shit, er excuse me, stuff straight.” You turn around to look at him shaking your head slowly. “There might have been some confusion with my date tonight. You see, I’m an idiot who would rather keep quiet rather than rock the boat, but doing that almost cost me everything that matters to me tonight. You see, I love (Y/F/N). I love her with all my heart.” He points to you in the crowd, and lights come down around you. “I didn’t want to share our relationship with you assholes, but I didn’t realize how much pain that was causing (Y/N). So I’m just letting you know, so everyone knows how much I love (Y/N) and that I have ever since communications class sophomore year. And I will do anything to make this right with you.” He turns and thanks Tony before pushing his way through the crowd to you. When you finally meet, you push your lips onto his, kissing him deeply. When you break apart, you see the rest of the jocks smirking at him and laughing to themselves before turning away.

“I love you (Y/N). I’m sorry I ever wanted to hide this beautiful thing we have from anyone. I’m luckiest man in the world that you call me yours.”


	5. Baskets.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: But Zach trying to teach you how to play basketball. (I’m really tall and people always ask me if I play but what is sports ya know?) and he’s being really patient and trying to impress you and how cute would that be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I tried so hard to describe what I was seeing in my mind for that embrace, so I can only hope it comes across the way I wanted it to. I love writing about Zach, not to say I don’t enjoy Justin and Alex, I just have a lot more fantasies ready to go when it comes to Zach.

“What do you mean you’ve never played before? Look how tall you are.” Zach said incredulously over lunch.

“I’m sorry I don’t conform to your heightist views Dempsey.” You retort. “Sports really aren’t my thing. I’m sorry?”

“No, I mean that’s fine.” He says, trying to cover his ass. “I wasn’t trying to be rude, I’m just surprised is all.”

You shrug at him and continue your lunch. Justin draws his attention away from you and you look up to see Jessica eyeing the two of you with a smile tickling her cheeks. She averted her gaze, but kept peeking back over at you and the tall boy sitting next to you. When the lunch bell rang everyone filed out of the lunch room, but Zach grabbed your arm to stop you.

“Hey, I was wondering. I really want to test a theory. I wanna know if you’re as good at basketball as I think you will be.” He asks, rubbing the back of his head, a shy look not usually found on his features gracing them. You wanted to be annoyed, but there was a part of you that was leaping at the opportunity to spend any time with Zach. It was no secret to yourself you had a crush on him. Now what you wanted to do with that information, you weren’t sure of just yet.

“You promise you’ll take it easy on me?” You tease, although there’s a small amount of truth in your words. “I’ve never really even played, well, aside from what they make you do in elementary school.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything you need to know.” He insisted, a smile crossing his features. “I’ll meet you after school, okay?” You nod and he gives you a wink before heading to class. You want to text Jessica, to give her the scoop but you weren’t really sure if there even was a scoop to give. The rest of the day drags by at a snail’s pace, even if it was only three more hours. Your stomach started doing backflips in the last fifteen minutes before the bell, almost convincing yourself to back out of meeting up with Zach. Your heart was racing when the bell rang, causing you to drop all of your books. The halls were all but empty by the time you got your locker and right as you closed the door, a familiar face was standing behind it.

“You ready superstar?” Zach asked, a wide smile crossing his features. If your heart had calmed down at all, it was back at full speed as you looked up at his smiling face. “You have your gym clothes? ‘Cause you sure as hell don’t want to be playing in jeans.”

“Oh jeez, I knew this was all some ploy to get me naked.” You tease, the words seeming alien as the come out of your mouth. You watch his eyes flick up and down your body, causing him to lick his lips.

“W-what? N-no?” He stuttered out. “I’m not that kind of guy (Y/N).” He assured you. You couldn’t help but smile. He really was just a good guy. You loop your arm in his, taking him and yourself by surprise as you headed for the gym.

“I know, Zach, it’s called a joke.” You tell him. He nods, seemingly relieved you didn’t think he was just trying to get in your pants. The gym was empty when you arrived and the two of you separated to change into more appropriate sports clothing. When you arrived at your locker, you realize your usual gym clothes were at home in the wash so all you had was your backup outfit. You pulled on the pair of shorts and tank top, checking yourself out in the mirror. The shorts were a little smaller than you remembered, causing them to ride up a lot higher than you thought they would. Checking yourself out in the mirror, you feel a surge of confidence rise within you. You make your way out to the gym. Zach is sitting on the bleachers, setting up his bluetooth speaker. He was scrolling through his phone as you walked across the gym floor, he glanced up for a second before looking back again completely astonished.

“Jesus, that’s what you wear for gym?” He said, as you sat down next to him. “How in the hell do I get into your gym class?” Your cheeks flush red as you cover your legs with your arms.

“This isn’t my usual get up. I took that one home yesterday. This one is my back up, and it’s a little smaller than I thought it would be.” You told him bashfully. He can’t pull his eyes off you until you nudge him slightly. “Come on, I have a championship to win.” You say smiling. Zach shakes his head, coming back to reality.

When you try to dribble the ball, it doesn’t go well but it has nothing on your attempt to shoot. You go with the tried and true between the legs shot, missing the net completely. You turned to Zach and shrug as if you tell him you told him so. Zach squints at you, trying to mask his astonishment. He jogs over to grab the ball and when he returns he tries to show you the proper way to shoot.

“You wanna use your fingertips, not whatever the hell you just did.” He said, causing you to blush again. “Here, come here. Let me show you.” He stands behind you, your ponytail brushing up against his chest. You feel a shiver go down your spine as he deftly positions your hands to show you how to hold the ball. “Just push with your fingertips.” He murmurs in your ear. The moment seems to last forever and a second and when he pulls away, you find yourself missing his warmth. Another chill runs down your spine and you shoot the basketball, completely unaffected when it lands in the hoop. You turn back to Zach, trying to read his face, but you find him trying to do the same with you. “I didn’t mean to get so close.” He says, his voice husky.

“No, I liked it, having you that close to me.” You say breathlessly. You can’t take your eyes off his face, especially his lips. You wet your lips at the thought of kissing his, biting your bottom lip as you fight internally with whether or not you should. He looks at you, his eyes seeming to take you in as you stand before him. You move closer, damning your better judgement, and put your hands on his face. He brings his hand up to yours, before pulling you in and kissing you. Your heart sings as you eagerly kiss him back, glad he was braver than you. When you pull apart, the world feels different but somehow more familiar. You stay close to each other, not wanting to leave the embrace.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” He murmurs, his eyes moving from yours, back to your lips and back to your eyes. “I just didn’t know how to say anything. I didn’t want to seem weird.”

“Zach, I can’t fully express to you how I happy I am that you did.” You breathe, unable to believe this was your new reality.


	6. Cheat Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Can I have an imagine where the reader is dating Zach and finds out he cheated (multiple times) when he testifies in court and he tries to get her to forgive him and you can choose if she does or doesn’t?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, now that I’ve ripped my own heart out. 😭 I tried to keep the ending open to interpretation so to speak because I wouldn’t want to leave him either, but at the same time, the amount of sex Hannah and Zach had over the summer would ruin it for me. So I didn’t give a definite answer. Oh and full disclosure, I did pull the courtroom dialogue straight from the show for the most part, just edited it where it needed to be.

“You love me, right?” Your boyfriend asks you as the two of you lay in his bed. He’s laying on your lap while you run your fingers through his hair. You were watching a documentary about sharks and you were mildly disturbed that he wasn’t paying much attention.

“Of course I do, baby. Why wouldn’t I?” You reply, twirling a his hair around your finger.

“Oh no, I know. I just love you so much.” He says, looking at his hands, picking at a hangnail. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, honestly.” He says, his voice melancholy.

“Does this have to do with court tomorrow?” You ask him tenderly. “You didn’t really know Hannah that well. You took a couple notes, big deal.” You assure him. “People aren’t really going to see that as a big deal. Hannah overreacted.” Zach was silent. “Maybe if she would’ve talked to you about it a little more rather than just assuming.” You’d heard the tapes. You’d caught him listening to him one night when you surprised him with a visit. You held him as he worked through his guilt, carrying way more than you thought necessary. He showed you the note she thought Zach had thrown away. He told you he didn’t know how to react to it, he froze. It was the first time you’d seen him cry before and it broke your heart.

“I just want to help Hannah.” He murmurs gazing off into space. He moves to lay next to you, holding his arms out to hold you. He pulls you in close, covering the two of you with his thick blanket. He holds you as though it’s the last time he’d ever get to, kissing your head periodically. “I love you so much (Y/N).” He whispers in your ear. “Thank you for always being there for me.” You were revelling in his love, arching your neck to kiss him, which got hot and heavy quickly. He kissed you all over, your chest, your neck, your tummy. There wasn’t a single part of you he could get enough of. When you were done, he cleans you up before you get out of his bed, looking at the time on your phone. 1:12 am.

“I guess I should be going.” You say sadly, pulling your jeans back on.

“Would you stay with me tonight?” He asks, his voice husky. You raise your eyebrow at him

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Won’t your mom be mad?” You ask him, sitting down on his bed.

“I really don’t care.” He says honestly. “I just want to spend time with you. If you leave, I’ll never get to sleep.” You nod, pulling your jeans back off and tossing them on the chair. You crawl back into his bed, thrilled to be back in his warm embrace. He wraps his arms around you, making you feel so safe as you both drift off to sleep.

-

The next morning comes all too fast. Zach wakes you up silently, putting his finger to his mouth. You dress quickly, before climbing out his window and avoiding the windows to run home and change. Your parents are still out of town so you let yourself in and get dressed in your court attire. You make your way back to Zach’s, his mother eyeing you cautiously before smiling and saying good morning. You and Zach get in his car, his mother following in her’s. Zach looks nervous as all hell, holding your hand as he drove. When you arrive at the courthouse, he opens your door for you, giving you an opportunity to give him a kiss.

“Baby, everything is going to be okay.” You assure him. He snorts and pulls you into a hug. His mom calls for him and he takes your hand as you walk into the court house. Lawyers pull him off into a sideroom, but he mouths he loves you. You smile at him, blowing him a small kiss before you and his mother take your seats in the main court hall.

“Thank you for letting me come Mrs. Dempsey.” You say shyly while you wait for the proceedings to start.

“Of course (Y/N). I know you make my Zach very happy.” She says serenely. “How long have you been together now?”

“Since sophomore year. It’ll be a year in a couple weeks.” You say, excitement leaking into your voice. His mom smiles at you.

“Well we’ll have to bring you around for dinner than won’t we?” She says, a small smile playing at her cheeks.

“Order!” The bailiff calls and the proceedings commence.

The Baker’s Lawyer asks Zach about the bullying culture at Liberty but it’s when the schools lawyer approaches him that he starts to look really nervous. The lawyer starts to ask him about the summer before junior year. The summer you were at your grandparents in Washington. Signal had been non-existent so you only really got to talk to him sporadically. When his Dad died, your parents let you drive down to attend the funeral with him, but you had to go back the same night. It broke your heart to do it, but you didn’t have a choice. You both cried when you left but you assured him you’d be home as soon as you could be.

“Mr. Dempsey, isn’t it true you reached out to Hannah the summer after the note?”

“Yes.”

“And isn’t it true you saw her more than once that summer?” The lawyer asked coolly.

“Yes, my girlfriend was out of town that summer, it was slow.” He says, voice strained. He seemed to be focusing directly on the lawyer, trying not to let his gaze fall on you.

“And what did you do that summer with Hannah?” The lawyer asks.

“I saw a lot of movies. I was out of my mind after my dad died, and I needed someone to talk to.”

“But didn’t you send hundreds of texts back and forth that summer?” She asked. His eyes flicked to you, for only a second just to see your confused expression.

“I mean, we texted. I don’t know how many times.” He paused a moment, before continuing. “We just… we had things in common to talk about, and things we didn’t have to talk about, things we just knew about each other.” He mumbles, looking down at his hands. Your heart is thudding in your chest. He’d never told you about spending any time with Hannah, let alone that he’d gotten close to her. You wanted to leave that courtroom, to stop hearing what else he did with Hannah that summer. You were frozen to your seat, silent tears welling in your eyes as your boyfriend kept talking.

“That must’ve been exhausting, keeping that a secret.” The lawyer said coldly.

“Yeah, I guess I, uh I just wanted to keep the friendship ours.” Zach explains.

“And in all that time you spent together, all those texts, you and Hannah never became more than friends? You never told your fellow teammates about her, as you’ve said they do? - Bragged a bit?” You couldn’t help but glare at the back of the woman’s head, what exactly was she trying to say.

“No. I would never do that.” Zach said, anger leaking in his tone.

“Because there was nothing to brag about or because you’re not one to do so?” The lawyer asks slyly.

“Because it wasn’t like that.” Your stomach drops. You exchange glances with his mother, but she just shakes her head, watching her son intently.

“What was it like then? Mr. Dempsey, did something happen between you and Hannah Baker the summer before she took her life?”

Zach struggled for a moment, looking at his mom, to you. He looks devastated, causing tears to spill down your cheeks. He sniffled slightly, wiping his eyes before continuing.

“Yes.” He mumbled.

“What?” The lawyer asked.

“Yes, we… we had sex.” Your heart felt broken, and your body felt numb.

“Just once?”

“No, it was all summer.” You let out a sob as you stand up and move out of the courtroom, breaking down in the hallway after the door closes. You hear the judge banging his gavel and calling for order in the court. You push through the front door, walking out into the world which felt so different now. How could he do it? You trusted him. Suddenly his actions from the previous night start to make sense. He knew you’d find out. You start wondering down the street, taking random turns, not knowing where to go, just wanting to stay out of sight. A half hour after you left, your phone starts blowing up. You turned off your device after seeing Zach’s name on your phone. You never wanted to talk to him again. You find yourself at the Eisenhower park, happy to find it completely empty. You climb up to the slide and sits down, pulling your knees up to your chest. You can’t contain yourself anymore, and you cry. You don’t bother trying to stay quiet because you were certain no one would be looking for you here.

You cry until you have no tears left to give. Your heart feels empty and barren. A familiar engine purr alerts you to the fact that you weren’t alone anymore, and you know exactly who it was.

“(Y/N), I know you’re here.” Zach says weakly. “Please, just talk to me.” You say nothing. You had nothing to say to him anymore. “Please, (Y/N). Let me explain.”

“Explain what? Why you lied to me?” You snap, your voice raspy.

“I didn’t know how to tell you, I needed you that summer.” He cries.

“So it’s my fault?” You hiss at him, standing up to look down at him. His eyes were bloodshot, his suit disheveled. Your heart betrays you, wanting to go down and find comfort in his arms. “You cheated on me because I couldn’t be there for you? Even though I wanted nothing more than to be there with you?”

“I was going to tell you.” Zach says defeated. “I wish it’d never happened. I wish I could take it all back.”

“You can’t.” You say darkly. “You never truly cared about me, did you?”

“(Y/N), I love you so much.” Zach begged. “I know I messed up but I can’t live without you. I know I’ve hurt you, but I want to fix it.”

“You’re going to have to learn how.” You say heartlessly. You slide down the slide and start walking out of the park.

“(Y/N).” Zach calls from behind you. “(Y/N), please.”

“Goodbye Zach.” You say coldly, heading home. You hear him collapse to his knees and start crying. You fight the urge to turn around, to scoop him up and hold him again. You think of the good times that you shared, and your own tears start to fall. You turn around to look at the broken man in front of you, and your feet take you to his side. When you rest your hand on his back, he wraps his arms around you, clinging to you.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N).” He mutters in your ear, sniffling. “I’m so sorry and I will do anything to make it up to you, anything.”

“I don’t know Zach.” You tell him, causing him to hold you tighter to him. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“I know.” He cries softly. “I’ll do anything for you (Y/N). You don’t have to forgive me now.

“Just tell me one thing.” You say, calmly. He releases you slightly, looking into your eyes. “Did you love her?”

“I cared for Hannah, but the only person I’ve ever truly loved is you.” He assures you.

“I don’t want to lose you.” You murmur, moving your gaze to his hands, wrapping yours around them. “I just don’t know if I can forgive you.”

“Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I love you (Y/N).”


	7. Cheat Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: None, other than asking for a continue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I got a request to continue Cheat and I knew pretty much how I wanted to continue so now I present to you~~~! The longest thing I’ve written so far! 😂  
> Warnings: BRYCE IS IN THIS DOING GROSS BRYCE THINGS. It doesn’t get far for Zachary reasons but it happens, and I don’t let it just go away because Zach saved the day, ya dig?

Walking into school the day after Zach went up on the stand was worse than you could’ve imagined. You knew the whole school had been keeping up so you knew people would know but you didn’t anticipate all their eyes being on you, trying to see how you were taking it. You were getting annoyed because you’d rather they just ask rather than just keep their eyes on you. You were at your locker when you heard shouting down the hall.

“What the fuck Dempsey?!” You heard someone yelling. Peeking around the door to your locker, you see Bryce Walker yelling at your ex-boyfriend. “You had two fine pieces of ass on your elbow and you couldn’t tell your own brother. Can’t blame you though, (Y/N) is probably the hotter piece of ass between the two.” Zach shoved the jock, his eyes finding yours. “What, it’s not my fault you didn’t compare them in a two on one session.” You feel your skin crawl and you slam your locker shut. “Oh hey (Y/N)!” Bryce called after you. “You wising up and dumping Dempsey doesn’t mean you can’t come to my parties. I got one tonight if you wanna drink away your sorrows.” You turn to glare at him, but you see Zach trying to catch up to you. You slip into your classroom right as the bell rings, leaving an annoyed Zach in the hall. He gives you a mournfully apologetic look before dashing off to his own class.

You expected to see him in the hall after the bell rang but you were privately pleased to not find him there. You weren’t ready to talk to him, hell you didn’t even want to look at him. Still, he cornered you at lunch where the two of you just sat across from each other in silence, not knowing what to say in the slightest. You wanted to scream at him. You wanted to call him worse than dogshit but when you looked at the broken man sitting across from you, you couldn’t find the words. Your instincts were telling you to pull him into your arms and console him like you had down so many times before. Images of Hannah holding him tight while you slept alone steeled your resolve and the lunch went by with no words being uttered between you. When the bell rang, you stood up and walked away, trying so hard to resist a glance over your shoulder. When your heart won out, you saw Zach with his hands in his hands, body heaving. He was crying. You wanted to rush to his side like you had down the day previous but you couldn’t. You had to let him go.

After school let out, you saw your friend Jessica waiting by your car. You sighed inwardly, knowing why she was here. She wanted to talk about Zach. Fuck. You slowly approach your car, and when she spots you, she breaks into a sympathetic smile, pulling you into a tight hug. “Hey (Y/N). How are you?” She asks when the two of you finally break apart.

“Completely and utterly destroyed.” You mumble under your breath. She doesn’t seem to hear you, giving you a confused look. “I’m fine.” You insist, unlocking your door and climbing in. She raises her eyebrow, gesturing at the passenger door. Begrudgingly, you reach over and pop the lock allowing her to get it in.

“I’m not just going to be leaving you alone after the day I know you’ve had.” She says matter-of-factly. “Now, drive us to Monet’s where we will be meeting Alex and discussing how fucking terrible everything is.” You sigh, but a small smile tickles your cheeks.

When you arrive at Monet’s, you find Alex sitting at a small table with three hot beverages in front of him. He waves shortly at you as you sit down. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to get you,” he tells you, “but Jessica insisted something hot to bridle your rage and something sweet to match your personality.” You can’t help but giggle at Jessica as she shrugs her shoulders at you. “I hope you like this caramel concoction that Skye made.” You take a sip, letting the warm liquid warm your heart.

“Thanks guys.” You mumble under your breath. You feel your voice hitch as the two start bantering back and forth and you find yourself missing Zach. You were used to hanging out with Jess and Alex alone, but on the rare occasions Zach could get away from his sports, he’d come too. It felt like a glaring hole as you looked at the empty chair.

“Hey, so (Y/N) how are you?” Jessica says, ripping your attention away from the empty chair. You shrug at her, nothing really able to articulate anything useful.

“You didn’t know at all did you?” Alex asks before Jessica slaps at him. You shake your head slowly, a tear sliding down your nose before dripping off the end of your nose.

“I need to get home.” You mumble, grabbing your things and heading for the door. Jessica grabs your arm as you grab the door handle.

“Please don’t go. We’re worried about you.” Jessica insists. “Plus you have all this coffee left to drink.”

“I just don’t want to talk about him Jess.” You whisper, your voice raw. “Everything hurts. I want to see him and talk to him, but every time I look at him, I just see Hannah there, loving him when I couldn’t.” You wipe away the tears that have started flowing freely down your cheeks. “And I’m happy someone was there for him when I couldn’t be, I just can’t believe he’d lie to me for that long.” Your honesty burns your throat and you return to the table to take a sip of your coffee. Remember that it was hot at the last second, you swallow the lava quickly before grabbing a bottle of water from Skye.

“(Y/N), why don’t you just talk to him?” Jessica asks softly.

“I would but I don’t know what to say anymore Jess.” You slump down into your chair, head in your hands. “I loved him Jessica and he betrayed me. How am I supposed to just ‘get over’ it?” Your voice is a low whisper now, heartache echoing in every syllable. “How am I supposed to let him go?” You say, looking up at her. Jessica’s eyes are red now and she sits down next to you, resting her head against yours.

“(Y/N), you don’t have to let him go. You can talk this out, work through it. Both of you are completely devastated at the loss of each other.” You sniffle, moving away from her to wipe your eyes. She looks at you, deep empathy in her eyes.

“Zach.” Alex blurts out, stunned. Your eyes move up to look at the boy who stole your heart, his eyes red and his fists bloody. You instinctually grab a bottle of water and a napkin, moving to clean his hands. He doesn’t resist as you gingerly dab around the area.

“What happened?” You murmur emotionlessly.

“Nothing. Just Bryce wouldn’t stop running his mouth. So, I shut him up.” He said simply.

“What was he saying?” Alex asks, resulting in another slap from Jessica. “Girl, if you do not stop hitting me.” He whispers harshly.

“It was nothing, just was pissing me off.” Zach brushed off.

“What’d he say?” You ask evenly. Skye brought you over some gauze from a first aid kit to wrap his hands. He’s quiet, refusing to answer you. Once you were finished, you pushed his hands away. “What’d he say Zach?” You ask again, anger seeping into your tone.

“What you heard.” He finally conceded. “Except worse.” You think back to the conversation you’d overheard this morning and you felt sick to your stomach. “He seems to think rather highly of me now.” He tells you, disgusted at his own words.

“Well, you can ride that high for as long as you need to.” You spit back at him. You gather your things for a second time.

“Wait, (Y/N). Please.” Zach asks wearily. “Please, just talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” You snap. You walk out of the cafe but the footsteps behind you tell you weren’t alone.

“(Y/N). I’m sorry. I’m so incredibly sorry.” Zach cries out behind you. An SUV pulls up beside you. Bryce Walker, looking a little worse for wear, eyes you salaciously from the driver’s seat.

“What’s up (Y/N)? Is this asshole bothering you?” He asks you slyly, glancing back at Zach. Zach seems to be frozen to the spot now, watching you intently. “You wanna come to a party?” He asks you, slime oozing in every word.

“Sure, why not?” You respond, glaring at Zach. Bryce urges you to hop in, which to Zach’s horror, you do. Bryce speeds off, leaving Zach behind, distraught.

You’d been to Bryce’s house before, usually under tight watch by Zach and usually at night. It seemed almost bizarre to see the mini mansion in the daytime. “You want something to drink?” Bryce asks you as you, Scott and Monty enter the smaller summer house.

“Why the fuck not?” You shrug tossing your backpack down next to the couch and following Bryce out to the small refrigerator. He tosses you a beer and grabs a couple for the guys. You sit down on the small couch, opposed to the one Monty and Scott were on. Your hand runs over the fabric slowly. This couch had been host to many kisses between you and Zach and more importantly, the first kiss you’d ever shared. Bryce sat down next to you, turning on the tv and breaking you away from your memories.

“So, (Y/N), how’re you holding up?” He asks brashly. You open your beer, taking a long drink before shrugging.

“I’m fine.” You hear yourself repeating. All day, that’s all you’ve told people. “I miss him.” You confess.

“Zach’s a good guy, he’s just an idiot. Why would he waste time with a trainwreck like Hannah Baker when he had a girl like you waiting for him.” Bryce said incredulously. You roll your shoulders, trying to displace the awkwardness you were feeling.

“I don’t know, maybe ask him that.” You shrug again.

“See I tried that.” Bryce said darkly. “He beat the shit out of me. Or well, tried to anyway. Some of my guys still know loyalty.” His eyes glance up to Scott and Monty. You were surprised to see Scott looking ashamed next to Monty’s prideful face.

“I guess he’s just a little sensitive about it.” You tell him, looking to Scott for some kind of out.

“I guess it was just a case of ‘too soon’ then.” Bryce shrugged pulling you under his arm. “Its okay, you can finally have real fun with us now that he’s out of the picture.” Your eyes go wide as you try to pull away but his arm won’t let you go.

“Hey Bryce, leave her alone.” Scott says, annoyed.

“Hey Scott, shut the fuck up.” Bryce retorts mockingly. Scott stalks back into the kitchen, leaving you alone with Money and Bryce. “Besides, you want to be here, don’t you sweetie? That’s why you came. You wanna get back at him.” Bryce says sickenly. You shake your head rapidly as he adjusts to push his body up against yours. He presses his lips to your, as you try to push him away from you. Scott returns, sliding his phone back in his pocket, to push Bryce off of you. “Get the fuck off me Reed.” He says pressing his palm to Scott’s chest and pushing him back. His eyes flick to Monty and he nods his head toward Scott. Monty grabs the kid, dragging him outside leaving you completely alone with Bryce.

“Please, no.” You mumble at him. You were cursing yourself for being so stupid to get in Bryce’s car. You knew what he did, you just wanted to piss off Zach. If you were honest, you thought Bryce would respect his girlfriend more than this.

“Come on (Y/N). Let’s really show Zach how much he’s hurt you.” He murmurs in your ear, sending chills down your spine. He pushes his mouth back on yours and while you struggle against him, you definitely can’t fight back. Tears stream down your face as his hands make their way under your shirt. You hear low shouting outside, before the summerhouse door slams open.

“What the fuck Walker?” Zach roars, lunging at him and ripping him off of you.

“She wanted it.” He smirks. “Why else would she be here?” Zach’s eyes finally find yours and you well and truly start to cry as you shake your head fervently. “Oh whatever you stupid slut.” Bryce shrugs.

Zach rears back and punches Bryce. Roaring again he climbs on top of Bryce, delivering fist after fist. You get up, trying to pull him off of Bryce, but he just throws you back. “You were supposed to be my friend you stupid piece of shit.” He cries between each blow. You try again to pull him off of Bryce and you’re successful this time. His eyes look you up and down, concern filling his gaze. You curl into his lap on the floor, crying into his neck. He clings to you desperately, not wanting to let you go ever again.

“I’m sorry.” You mumble, your voice muffled into his neck.

“It’s my fault. I hurt you. You never would never would’ve felt the need to come here if I was just honest with you.” He laments, shaking his head sadly.

“It was still incredibly stupid. I just wanted to see the look on your face when I climbed in the car. I just wanted you to feel an iota of what I was feeling.”

“You don’t think I’m hurting (Y/N)?” He asks, exasperated. “Every moment feels like I’m fucking dying and when I actually see you and I see what I’ve done to you? It drives the spear even further through me.” He tells you, his voice cracking. “I don’t deserve you. I never deserved you.” He puts his head back, trying not to look at you. “But I can’t live without you. One day has been hell. I can’t go the rest of my life.”

You’re silent as you help him up. You kick Bryce on the floor to assure he was still alive and Zach wouldn’t be charged with murder. You lead him outside, surprised to see Monty passed out with Scott leaning over him checking his vitals. He and Zach share a look, telling you Zach knew to come because of Scott.

“I wasn’t going to just leave you here.” He mumbles. “I just thought you were going to cool off and then go home. I really didn’t think that Bryce would be so direct. Only reason I didn’t rip you out of that car was because Scott was there.” You fish his keys out of his pocket, all but forcing him into the passenger side. If you were honest, you were thrilled as you slid behind that steering wheel and turned the engine over. You couldn’t help but steal a glance over at Zach as you lowered the top down. He watched you momentarily before tearing his gaze away to watch the road. You take it easy, even though your foot is begging you to floor it. You think of your car still parked outside of Monet’s and you stop back by, thrilled to see Jessica and Alex still there. You give Jess your keys, promising to explain later if she’d take your car home. You hop back in beside Zach and drive him back to his house. His mother’s car is parked outside, causing him to groan.

“Zachary Shan-Yung Dempsey,” his mother yells as she barrels out of the house, “how are things with (Y/N)? Have you tried groveling? That girl was the best thing-” She stops short as he climbs out of the passenger side and you, the driver’s. “Oh, I see. Dinner will be at seven you two.” She says evenly, though a small smile tickled her cheeks and she headed back inside.

Zach lets out a small laugh as he watches his mother head back inside. “She hasn’t let me hear the end of it.” He tells you. “To say she was pissed…” He trails off.

You slide back into the driver’s seat, him following your lead, both unsure of what to say. You want to tell him you love him, that you forgive you but your brain won’t let you. “I want to forgive you Zach.” You speak up finally. “I just… you lied to me. How can I trust you again?” You rest your arms on the steering wheel cradling your head against it.

“It would never happen again.” He says quietly. “Not that it makes it much better, but we hadn’t been together long when it happened. I just… baby I was out of my mind at the time.” He pleaded with you to understand.

“If this is going to work, I’m going to need you to promise to be completely honest with me from now on. No matter what.” You tell him seriously. “No more secrets. I know you were hurting. I just wish you could’ve told me. That’s what hurts the most.”

“No more secrets.” He agrees, taking your hand and kissing it gently.

“I missed you so much Zachy. It’s only been a day and it felt like I was missing a part of myself completely.” You tell him hollowly. He holds your hand in his, peppering kisses all over it. You both climb out of the car, where you begrudgingly return his keys to him. You slip up to his room, bed still unmade from when you slept it in last. Your eyes travel from the bed to his eyes and you press your lips to his, struggling to force the image of Bryce out of your head. He grabs your ass and lifts you up as you wrap your legs around him. Pressing you against the wall, he kisses you deeply, love and devotion coming through in every kiss.

“Zach,” you say, when you break apart to catch your breath, “I love you so much.” He eyes you hungrily as he nods.

“You are my world (Y/N).”


	8. Cheat Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you like the way Cheat p2 ended, then feel free to skip this one. This one was tough to write just because it made me delve into my own distrustful thoughts (I distrust people by default). I’m sorry if you think it seems a little blown out of proportion or anything but I was trying to convey how after something like that happens, little things would set you off.

Sitting on your bed, you lace your fingers around your boyfriend’s. Netflix plays in the background, but the two of you aren’t really paying attention, being more interested in each other. You can’t take your eyes off of him, from his adorable smile to the way his eyes were taking you in. Serenity was setting in, happy to just be there with him. His phone vibrates, causing your stomach to drop. He looks at the screen and sighs.

“Babe, I gotta go. Alex needs me.” He tells you, sliding to the side of the bed to put his shoes on. Looking at the time on your own phone, you see that it’s already one in the morning.

“It’s one o’clock in the morning Zach.” You say, narrowing your eyes at him.

“I know, but he needs someone to talk to.” He tells you, pulling his jacket on. “If I don’t go, and something happens…” The trails off as he reaches the window. You stand up, going over to him and pulling him into a kiss.

“Alex will be okay.” You murmur when you break apart. “Just stay here with me.” You watch as Zach struggles internally before his face becomes steely.

“Alex needs me. I told him, no matter what time if he texted me I would be there for him.” He tells you, gently pushing you away from him and heading for the window. “What’s with you (Y/N)?” He asks, an accusation lingering in his tone. You shake your head and climb back in your bed defiantly.

“Nothing Zach, just go.” You snap. He huffed softly before shaking his head and climbing through the window. Tears brimmed in your eyes as distrust overcame you. It had been a couple weeks since your reconciliation and at first everything seemed to be normal. Jess and Alex were thrilled to see the two of you hand in hand again and the whispers tapered off. You were just starting to think it could work when Alex started texting Zach in the middle of the night and suddenly Zach would be gone. It wasn’t too strange, seeing as Alex would text Zach in the middle of the night before but now a little voice in the back of your head whispers “What if he’s lying.”

You tossed and turned for most of the night, waiting for Zach to text you. You finally resigned yourself to consciousness, sitting upright in your bed staring at your phone. You started typing out several different messages, all of them sounding tpo accusatory. Throwing your phone down on the bed in frustration, you get up and start getting ready for school. Breakfast consisted of cold toast as you couldn’t take your eyes off your phone, waiting for some kind of text from Zach. Normally he would have contacted you by now, at least to tell you he was on his way to take you to school. You started to getting angrier and angrier as the phone sat there. You finally pick it up and call him. The line trills a few times before a sleepy Zach answers.

“Hey (Y/N).” Your heart races with anger but you take a breath. Exhaustion was fueling your rage mostly, but still that little voice was voicing its concerns.

“Where are you?” You ask, trying to keep your tone even as possible. You hear rustling on his end.

“Shit. I only got home a couple hours ago.” He says groggily. “I’m on my way though.”

“Don’t bother.” You tell him curtly, ending the call. You climb in your car, cursing everything he stood for. When you get to school, you see Alex and Jess talking in hushed voices, the conversation stopping abruptly as you approach.

“Hey (Y/N).” Jessica says cheerfully.

“What’s up guys.” You ask, sleepy eyes scanning the campus for Zach.

“You okay?” Alex asks hesitantly.

“Just didn’t get much sleep.” You yawn. “What time did Zach leave last night?” Alex and Jessica’s eyes meet in confusion.

“What are you talking about?” He asks.

“He said you texted him last night. He rushed over to your place at like one in the morning.” You explain. “Did he not go over there last night?”

“I texted him, but he never showed up.” Alex admits.

“What?” You hiss, resuming your scan of the campus. “Where the fuck did he go then?” Alex shrugged, looking to Jessica.

“I’m sure he had to go home or something.” She rationalized.

“Yeah, home or something.” You mumble, finally spotting him. Anxiety filled your chest as you say goodbye to your friends. You make a beeline for him, catching him by surprise. “Hey baby.” You say, sickening sweetness in your tone.

“Hey (Y/N).” He says, pulling you under his arm. Your heart rushes for a moment, all of your worries melting away as he smiles down at you. “Sorry I overslept this morning. Got home late from Alex’s.” Your eyes quickly narrow as you pull out of his embrace.

“Okay, but I talked to Alex this morning.” You tell him. “He said you never showed up.” Zach sighs in irritation and glares in Alex’s direction. “So, is this just going to be our thing now? You lie and I’m stupid enough to believe it?”

“I’m sorry (Y/N).” Zach replies.

“Where were you?” You hiss, trying to keep your voice down.

“I was heading to Alex’s but Bryce stopped me. He wanted to talk about what happened the other day.” He explains. “Believe me, or don’t. My bruised internal organs know the truth.”

“Zach, I can’t keep doing this.” You whisper. The bell rings and you look at the school, frustrated.

“You wanna skip today?” Zach asks softly, taking your hand in his. You pull away but start walking to your car. Zach follows, defeat in every step. You reach your car first, climbing in and speeding off. Glancing in your rearview, you see Zach following behind you. You lead him to the Eisenhower Park, disappointed to find it populated with kids and their parents. Zach drives off ahead of you, and this time you follow him. He leads you to the docks, where the two of you walk in silence for awhile.

“Did you mean what you said?” He asks finally, breaking the silence between you. You shrug, defeated, stopping to sit on a small bench by the water.

“I thought I could get over it.” You tell him sadly. “I thought things could just go back to normal.”

“They can.” He insists. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“Zach, you’ve already started lying to me again. You could’ve just told me that you talked to Bryce, but you’re so accustomed to lying to me that you just can’t stop.” You argue, fighting back tears. “Do you think I want it to be like this? Zach, I love you.” Your voice cracks and you tear your eyes away from him. “I love you more than I’ve loved anyone before but you hurt me. You couldn’t just be honest with me.” Tears flow freely now.

“I should’ve told you about Hannah, fuck it should’ve never happened in the first place.” He curses, standing up. “I was just so scared I was going to lose you.”

“Did you think I’d never find out?” You ask incredulously. “Especially at the court hearing. Why did I have to be blindsided by that information?”

“I didn’t think they would ask about it.” He mumbles. “I just wanted to do whatever it took to keep you with me.” Tense silence fills the space between you. You wipe the tears away and stand up.

“You lost me anyway didn’t you Zachary?” You stand up, turning away from him. “I can’t trust you. I can’t be with you if I can’t trust you.” You start to walk away from him again, every step aching at you to turn back and look at him. You take a deep breath and you walk away from the man who stole your heart only to shatter into a million pieces. It wouldn’t be easy to let him go, but things like this were never easy.


	9. Zach comforting you when you’re sad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I got an anon saying they were sad tonight so in honor of that I’m doing some headcanons. I hope this helps Nonny. ♥

  * You text him that you’re not feeling so hot
  * He’s there in like… two minutes.
  * He takes you out to get some food
  * Because when you get back you’re going to bunker down and watch your favorite movies
  * When you start talking about what’s bugging you, he listens intently
  * And if he can’t help, he’s just there for you
  * And when he can help, he does whatever he can to rectify the problem
  * But if you want him to, he’ll back off from it because he knows that’s important too.
  * On the off chance he can’t be by your side at that exact moment he’s attentive (as possible) to his phone
  * He always sends you long responses because he  ~~actually gives a shit~~ genuinely cares about you
  * MOST IMPORTANTLY
  * HE NEVER THINKS HE CAN BE THE SOLE CURE OF YOUR DEPRESSION. HE REALIZES ITS A LOT MORE THAN THAT AND ALWAYS ADVOCATES FOR YOU TO SEE A DOCTOR.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this one sucks, I kinda wrote on a whim, I wasn’t really thinking too hard about it.


	10. Touch (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: My own damn thirstiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What’s this? Two like, a span of minutes? DOPE. Alright, so this is a long one (for me anyway). I tried to keep the smuttier bits more realistic (you’ll see when you get to that part but the lead up to it made my heart fucking sing. I’m also really nervous about you guys reading this so fjsdkfjsdlkf

Zach Dempsey was the star football player of your school. You practically couldn’t turn a corner without running into a poster of him or someone talking about him. In this particular instance, it was actually him that you ran into and he knocked you flat on your ass. You howled out in pain after your books topple on top of you.

“Oh my god, (Y/N). Are you okay? Holy shit dude, I’m so sorry.” Zach Dempsey was holding your arm, trying to help you up but you were in a daze. Wait, Zach Dempsey? Did one of those books hit you in the head too? You shake your head and pull on his arm, standing back upright and smiling nervously. You could hear snickering around you and you saw Bryce and the other jocks laughing while looking in your direction. You flushed red and pulled your arm gently from Zach’s grasp.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve been paying attention.” You mumble, going to kneel down for your books. A sharp pain shot through your knee, causing you to gasp loudly.

“Whoa, hey what hurts?” Zach asks, reaching out to catch you if you fell. Once he seemed convinced that you weren’t going to fall, he quickly reached down and picked up your books for you.

“I think it’s my knee.” You tell him, bending it to test your theory. Sure enough, a fresh jolt of pain shot up your leg. You groan inwardly as he offers to help you walk to the nurse’s office. Once you’ve been given a clean bill of health, Zach takes it upon himself to be your pack mule for the day.

“Is it so bad I wanna help you after causing you such pain?” He asks dramatically.

“You make it sound like my leg is being amputated.” You tell him, glaring humorously.

“Oh, did Nurse Reese not tell you?” He says seriously before cracking a smile. You couldn’t ignore the ball of warmth develop in your stomach. Looking up at his smile, you found your heart racing faster, a smile of your own spreading over your face. You feel crazy as you start thinking he’s feeling the same way you are, but his lips were getting closer.

“Yo! Zach!” A voice down the hall calls. The moment is lost and you glance over to see Marcus headed toward the two of you. Groaning inwardly, you try to pull your books from Zach. He reluctantly lets them go as he glares at Marcus. You’re gone before Marcus catches up to Zach but you can’t help taking a peek over your shoulder. Zach is watching you walk away with a crestfallen look on his face, smiling softly when his eyes meet yours. You return the smile before slipping into your classroom.

The entire class period you can’t take your mind off of his smile and you find yourself zoning out and daydreaming about him. The bell rings, startling you and you make your way into the hall. You can’t help but scanning the hallway for the tall jock and your heart falls when he’s nowhere to be seen.

“Looking for someone?” A low voice mumbles in your ear. You gasp as Zach starts laughing. You smack his arm with your notebook playfully as he puts his arms up in defense.

“That was rude!” You giggle at him. He shrugs playfully at you. “Have you returned to resume pack mule duties?” You ask, eyebrow raised.

“Well I don’t know, my human ran off earlier. I wasn’t sure if she still wanted my help.” He says flatly. Your heart leaps when he calls you his human, but you’re quick to remind yourself of the joke he was making.

“Well, if I remember correctly, she said she didn’t need your help in the first place.” You say coolly, kicking yourself the moment the words slip past your lips. Zach looks genuinely hurt so you quickly try to recover. “But, she did like having you hanging around her.” What was going on with you today?! A surprised smile flashes on his face before he laughs.

“Well maybe if you wanted we could continue this party for two after school.” He said taking your things before the two of you walked to the last class of the day. One that the two of you conveniently shared.

“Oh, I wouldn’t expect a pack mule to want to spend all that time with me.” You say, breathlessly. You were stunned by his invitation, and he looked at you confused.

“Are we, are we not on the same page on this?” He asks, stopping outside of the classroom.

“S-same page?” You stutter.

“(Y/N), I thought you knew.” He said, raising his eyebrows. You scrunch your face in confusion. “Ah, jeez. This is embarrassing. (Y/N), I like you, and not just like, as a friend or anything. I have for awhile now.” You stare at him blankly, trying to look for any kind of tell. “I thought you felt something similar but I was clearly wrong-”

“Oh, no, no, no.” You interrupt him. “I was just shocked. Zach, I’ve liked you ever since middle school. I just never said anything because, well, I mean you’re you and I’m me.” You say shyly. Your hair falls into your face as you avert your eyes to the floor. He tucks the hair back behind your ear, sending chills down your spine. The bell rings and both of you simultaneously glare at the wall fixture.

“We’ll talk more about this after school, okay?” He says tenderly. You nod and the two of you make your way into the classroom. You take your seat and quickly scribble your phone number on a piece of notebook paper before tearing it out and slipping it over to him. He opens the paper and smiles, slyly pulling out his phone and punching the number in. You turn your attention to your teacher, trying hard not to hyperventilate thinking about what would happen after school. Your phone buzzes in your pocket and your eyes flash to Zach as you dig it out. His eyes are locked onto the teacher, but you can see a smile tickling his cheeks.

“ **Middle school huh? I guess you have me beat, probably not by much though.** ” The message read. Your heart soared.

“ **Middle of seventh grade, after Christmas Break.** ” You replied.

“ **Hmm, beginning of eighth. You looked so cute when you came back from summer vacation. Just couldn’t take my eyes off you.** ”

“ **Then why didn’t you say something?** ”

“Take one, pass it back. Phones away Mr. Dempsey.” Mr. Blank reprimanded. You take the sheet of paper from the kid in front of you eyes your eyes flicked to Zach. He glanced back at you frowning slightly at being unable to finish your conversation. “When you’re finished the test, bring it up to the front.” Mr. Blank said before sitting back down at his desk. You try to focus on the future grade in front of you but you can’t stop thinking of the phone left unfinished on Zach’s phone. You breeze through the test but you can’t stop looking in Zach’s direction. When you were finally finish with the final equation you hurried to the front and turned the paper in. When you turned, Zach was behind you handing his in as well and the two of you share a smile before returning to your seats. Your heart beats anxiously as you sit back down and watch as he pulls his phone back out of his pocket.

“ **I don’t know. I was just too shy I guess. I really like you. I didn’t want to get rejected.** ”

You blush as you read the text again and again. Your eye find Zach and you smile at him.

“ **I really like you too.** ”

Class took forever to finally end and you made sure to take your time gathering your belongings. Zach waited at your desk patiently for you, and once the classroom was empty you were finally able to look at him.

“Did you mean it?” You ask, voice trembling slightly.

“Of course I did.” He said, his voice thick. He moves your face to look at his, seemingly trying to compel you with his eyes that he was telling the truth. “I’ve been watching you for three years (Y/N). The way you move, how your voice sounds… I wish I would’ve said something sooner.” His voice is sultry and you swallow, trying to calm your breathing but your heart is going a mile a minute.

“So, where did you want to go?” You ask, your voice a couple octaves higher than normal. Zach smiles and steps away from you, giving you space to breathe. Him still being in the room made it thick with anticipation and when he held his hand out to you, you hesitantly reach out to take it. He leads you to your locker, a stop you hadn’t even remotely thought of and then to his car. If you weren’t nervous before, you definitely didn’t know what to do with yourself in a sixty thousand dollar car. He drove you to his house, thrilled when he see that his mom isn’t home. He leads you inside, quickly hurrying you past his sisters door where she was inside studying with her headphones on.

“Sorry for all the ‘covert’ operations.” He apologizes sheepishly. “My mom doesn’t usually let me have girls over. She’s out of town for the weekend but May isn’t the best at keeping secrets.” You glance at the door and smile at him before dissolving into giggles.

“You know, this morning I just thought I was just going to go to school, come home and repeat but here I am, hiding in Zach Dempsey’s bedroom from his little sister because he’s not allowed to have girls over.” You say, astonished. “What a fucking world.” Zach eyes you apprehensively at first, before conceding and breaking into a smile. He puts on some music to mask the sound of your voices and suddenly the nerves are back and you don’t know what to say to him.

“So, has it been a good day?” He asks, trying to make some kind of conversation.

“Hmm, my leg is still a little sore so that’s a lot of points off.” You tease. “But the guy I’ve had a crush on since I was twelve as finally noticed me, so that’s pretty wild.”

“Finally.” He says added his own air quotes.”(Y/N), I just. I don’t know how to explain it. You just drive me wild.” He looks up at you, yearning in his eyes. “Feel free to say no to this, seriously, but can I kiss y-”

You crash into him, pushing your lips onto his. If there was one thing you were sure of in that moment was that you needed to feel his lips on yours. Surprised at first, he returns the kiss with urgency, wrapping his arm around your waist. You break apart, both of you panting and staring at the other with amazement.

“Zach I-” You start to say but he brings his fingers up to your lips, nuzzling into you and seeming to enjoy your body finally being against his. You kiss the finger pressed to your lips passionately and he eyes you devilishly. “Zach, I want you.” You breathe. His eyes ignite as you push him over to his bed, gently pushing him into a sitting position. You slide a leg on either side of him, holding his face in your hands at you kiss him. Again, he’s quick to return your kiss, his hands exploring your back, down to your ass. He picks you up, flipping you over so he can be on top of you, never breaking away from your lips. Using one arm as a support, he uses the other to feel your body.

“Is this okay?” He murmurs, voice rapt with lust, never quite breaking the kiss.

“Yes.” You moan as he starts kissing down your neck. Chills go down your spine as you anticipate every touch. You wiggle your shirt off, feeling exposed as he pulls away to stare at you.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He whispers, touching your skin gently. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? You’re trembling.” He asks, concern filling his voice. “We don’t have to go this far if you’re not comfortable.”

“I’m nervous, but I’ve never wanted something more than in this moment.” You assure him, bring his mouth back to yours. He returns the kiss eagerly, his hands warming your trembling skin. He returns to kissing your neck, causing you to moan in pleasure, before moving down to your clavicle, peppering kisses all over before moving to your breasts. As he kisses the exposed skin, you reach around to undo the clasp on your bra. When the piece of fabric gives way, he pulls it off of you, hungrily eyeing the newly exposed flesh. Gently twirling around your nipple with his tongue, he starts pulling his shirt off. It’s your turn to stare, taking his body in. He smiles shyly at you before returning to the blissful torture he was performing on you. It was enhanced however by the feel of his skin being pressed against you, your skin now inflamed, lust pumping through your veins. He moved away from your breasts, kissing lower and lower down your abdomen, every kiss starting a new fire on your skin. When he reached the top of your jeans, his eyes darted up to yours, asking the silent question he’d asked twice already. You nod fervently and he starts unbuttoning your jeans, kissing the newly exposed skin as he gently pulls them off of you.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening.” He mumbles, tossing your jeans and panties to the side. Anticipation starts you trembling again and he moves back to your mouth, kissing you tenderly. You can feel his hardness against your legs and it sends you into overdrive. You take him by surprise and roll him over, raising your eyebrow as your hands toy with the button of his jeans. “Oh fuck yes.” He groans, and you hastily undo the button, gently pulling them down to allow his erection to spring free. Your breathing hitches as you look down at him spread out in front of you. You lick your lips before moving up his body, being sure to rub against him as you move. He groans as you move into kiss him, but an inch away you move away, opting to kiss down his neck, over to his ear before heading down his torso. He was trembling with anticipation now, causing a sense of confidence to wash over you. Your kisses becoming more teasing as you get closer to his belly button, trying to steady your breathing. You finally kneel down on the floor, toying with him before you start kissing his pubic mound. He moans as you move closer and closer before you softly take the tip of him into your mouth. You swirl your tongue around the tip, before removing your mouth. He groans, looking down at you to see why you’ve stopped only to watch you slowly drag your tongue from base of the shaft all the way up to the top. He can’t stop watching as you put him back in your mouth, slowly sucking but never breaking eye contact. Finally, he collapses backward, unable to support himself anymore from the pleasure making his arms weak. You continue for a while longer, before pulling your mouth from him, causing a soft ‘pop’ to be heard. He twitches beneath you, still riding a high of ecstasy. You use this to your advantage as you slowly mount him, pleasuring yourself with the tip. The weight and stimulation regain his attention and he moves his hands to your hips as you slowly lower yourself onto him. You start rocking your hips slowly, steadily gaining speed as he moans underneath of you. He pulls you down to meet your lips as he slides himself further underneath of you to take over some of the work.

“I love you (Y/N).” He growls, pumping harder and harder. You let out a breathy moan in response, pulling away from him to arch your back and toss your head back. The sight causes him to pump harder before tapping you quickly. You slide off him and white goo spurts out of him. You struggle to catch your breath as he looks at you, embarrassed slightly. “I’m sorry, did you..?” He trails off. You smile wide and shake your head slightly.

“It’s okay, we can go again when you’re ready.” You wink standing up to grab a bottle of water out of your purse. You’re sure to give him an excellent view as you bend down in front of him. You turn to find him with his jaw gaping in front of you, seeming to shake the thoughts away after your eyes meet his. You snuggle up next to him, offering him the water bottle. He takes it gratefully. A comfortable silence falls between you.

“I meant what I said.” He says, clearing his throat. Your eyes flicked to his, confused. “While we were, you know. It wasn’t just a heat of the moment thing. I love you (Y/N). I have for awhile, just from afar. I never knew it could be this amazing though.” He says lovingly.

“Zach, I love you too.” You tell him, your voice low. You meant it sincerely, surprised at yourself at knowing so quickly. “We have the rest of our lives. We have some lost time to make up for.” You wink.

And so you go again.


	11. Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I’ve been feeling pretty down lately and I just needed to write something to make me feel a little better. So I started that and then somehow it got to being about Hannah and this is now about Zach divulging his tape to the reader. So. Enjoy.  
> Warnings: A lot of depressive language and emotions. Mentions of Hannah’s tapes and her suicide.

Laying in your bed, looking for something to play on the TV. It really didn’t matter, you wouldn’t be paying attention anyway. You finally put on your happy place show and the theme plays in the beginning, you feel a sense of familiarity wrap itself around you and you can’t help but smile. The feeling of comfort and that familiar sense of dread creeps back up on you. The cartoon characters start to lose their color, turning dull and lifeless. The jokes that would merit at least a chuckle didn’t even faze you. You wrap your blanket around you, cocooning yourself. Your phone buzzed on the table and while your eyes travel to it immediately, you still don’t move from the spot you seem to be rooted in. The phone buzzes again before buzzing to indicate a call coming through. You pick up the phone, seeing your boyfriend Zach’s smiling face as the contact info. You stared at his name until the phone inevitably went to voicemail, tossing it aside to get comfortable again. A half hour later, a light knocking on your window jerks you from your reverie and you lazily glance over to see Zach in your bushes. You groan as you get up to let him in, annoyed at the possibility of your parents finding him here.

“What the fuck (Y/N)?” He asks as you slide the window down behind him. “Why aren’t you answering my calls or texts?” He says before the turns and looks at you. It was Saturday and you hadn’t taken any effort into putting yourself together today, which surprised Zach. “Babe, is everything okay?”

You move back to your bed, returning your focus on your show. “Yeah Zach, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear my phone.” You tell him flatly. Your tone has him watching you carefully, choosing his words cautiously.

“I just missed you is all. I haven’t seen you much in the past week. I thought you were mad at me.” He told you, dejected.

“I’m not mad.” You sigh. “I’m just not feeling myself right now. I don’t know how to explain it.” You feel dread rearing its ugly head at you again and you swallow. “I just feel… sad. All the time. It feels so hopeless.” Your voice seems disembodied as you speak but it’s the only way to get the words out the right way. “I just can’t find happiness in anything around me.”

Zach moves close to you, pulling you in his arms. The desire to be left alone loses to your general apathy so you let him hold you. The warmth on your skin; the reassuring feeling that someone was there for you warmed the ice that had seemingly enveloped your soul. Zach kissed your forehead softly, a slow rock starting as he held you. The movement and his touches soothed you if only a little, and happiness started peeking its head around the corner again, reminding you how important Zach was to you.

“Is it about Hannah?” Zach asked quietly. You had been friends with Hannah and her suicide had hit you hard. You wished she would’ve just tried to talk to you instead and it would be a lie to say it wasn’t hurting you at least a little each passing day. You shrug lifelessly against him, opting to just not really answer the painful question. “(Y/N), you know if you need me, no matter what time of day, I’ll be there. If there’s anything you need to talk about, I’m always willing to listen to you.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” You tell him, trying to keep your tone even. “I’m not going to do what Hannah did.” Your voice is empty and Zach watches you carefully.

“I never thought that was an option.” He says quietly. “I just… I hate seeing you this way. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you smile, like really smile.” Heartache echoed in his tone, his embrace tightening around you. The additional pressure coupled with his words made your heart burn with emotion, a feeling so intense that tears welled in your eyes. You nuzzled deeper into his chest, taking him by surprise.

“It can’t feel like this forever can it?” You murmur. It was his turn to remain silent. It felt like an eternity before he spoke again.

“I hope not.” He replies distantly. You pull out of his embrace to look at him, studying his face intently. His pensive gaze falls your floor, seeming to not really be looking at anything. “I just, I miss Hannah.”

“I know you do.” You whisper, sprinkling kisses on his face. A tear rolls down his cheek, seeming to wake him from his reverie. Clearly his throat he pulls you back into his arms, subtly trying to wipe his eyes.

“I came over because I was worried about you.” He says, a watery chuckle lacing his voice. “Why am I getting all worked up?”

“Do you think she blamed you?” You ask emotionlessly. “For getting together with me after that summer you spent together?”

Zach shakes his head but his body deflates against you. “No… I mean, I don’t think so.” His voice is thick with emotion  but you can’t see his face. “I don’t know.” He says finally. Complete defeat in his voice. “I never even thought of it like that. I guess Hannah would probably be right to be pissed.”

“No, she wouldn’t.” You tell him firmly. “When we got together, she never said anything to me, never acted any different. I wouldn’t even know if you hadn’t told me.” As you spoke, you thought about it more. Hannah had stopped coming around after you and Zach got together. You had just chalked it up to letting the two of you have your ‘honeymoon phase’. It wasn’t even a month after before she was gone. Your heart aches at the thought.

“(Y/N), there’s something else I need to tell you.” Zach says, fighting every word to come out. Your mind races as you turn around to look at him, tears threatening your cheeks already. He slips out the window before you could object and he was back before you could call out for him.

“W-What is it?” You ask hesitantly, trying to read his face. He hands you a small box and you open it to find 7 cassettes. He hands you a walkman, as you put the first tape in.

“Hey, it’s me. Hannah Baker. Live and in stereo.” You rip the headphones off, staring at Zach completely flabbergasted. “What in the fuck is this?” You sputter. Zach explains to you the tapes and how each one is one of her “reasons why”. Fury rears its ugly head at your friend. “Why the fuck would I be on one of these tapes?” You hiss at Zach.

“You’re not.” He responds simply. “I am.” Floored, you slowly reach for the small earbud in your ear and press play again. You listen through the first six tapes before Zach stops you. “This is my tape.” He tells you sadly, unable to meet your gaze. You find the play button suddenly harder to press.

“Why can’t you just tell me what she says?” You ask, your voice hollow. He doesn’t respond so you force yourself to press the button. You’re quiet through the whole thing, until she talks about him throwing the note away. You look at him, ashamed before he reaches into his wallet and pulls out a folded up piece of paper. You pause the tape, pulling the headphone from your ear.

“I never threw it away.” He said, handing the paper to you. You unfold it to see her handwriting and you almost throw it away yourself. “I don’t know why she thought I did, but I never threw it away.” He croaked. You take his hand in yours and gently bring it up to your lips, sprinkling kisses on it. He lets out a shallow chuckle as you speed your kisses, your eyes flicking to his playfully. He lets a small smile free before sighing deeply and stretching.

“You don’t have to go.” You tell him quietly. You adjust from your place on the bed, coming to rest sitting on the edge.

“Your parents would kill us both if they found me here.” He reminded you. You sink back into the bed dramatically, causing your gaze to fall back on that small box of tapes he showed you.

“What are you going to do with those?” You ask him.

“I have to pass them to next person.” He shrugs. “It’s the ‘rules’.”

“C-can I listen to the rest?” You ask nervously. He looks you over, a defensive look coming over his face.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea. It gets a little heavy toward the end.” He deflects.

“I can handle it. I need to know what else happened.” You insist.

Zach sighs, returning to the bed next you. “Okay, but I’m not leaving you alone. I don’t want you to go haywire. Especially when you get to last couple.” Your eyes widen at the implication and you take his hand in yours.

“I just need to know what happened to my best friend.” You mumble quietly.

“I know (Y/N).”


	12. Going Grocery Shopping Would Include

  * So the two of you head to Walmart to pick up snacks for a party as Jess’
  * You have the list but he chooses by his stomach.
  * “What do you mean we can’t get burgers? I’ll make them before I start drinking.”
  * He ends up walking out of the candy aisle with so so so much candy, mostly Mike and Ikes and Hot Tamales but also Reese’s Cups.
  * He’s ready to go but you have to remind him that there’s still chips and stuff to get.
  * While in the chip aisle, he sneaks off while your backs turned. 
  * He reappears with a smirk on his face, not telling you where he went
  * You try to get sodas for mixed drinks, but when you can’t quite reach he just picks you up and moves you out of the way.
  * “I was given this height for a reason (Y/N). I didn’t know what it was until this moment right now.”
  * He thinks you look adorable as you fume slightly at him.
  * ~~Though you can’t help but watch those muscles bulge as he lifts the 24 packs off the shelf~~
  * When you get to the register, he is SO NICE TO THE CASHIER.
  * You offer him the money Jess gave you to pay for everything but he scoffs.
  * “My dad complains that I don’t use my card enough so how will I build credit. So. I’m humoring him.”
  * When all the groceries are loaded in his car, he takes the cart back to cart corral by riding on the back.
  * You wait by the car, leaning against it shaking your head in amusement.
  * He unlocks car as he’s walking back, a sly smile on his face
  * You go to climb in but there’s something on your seat.
  * ‘ _Thank you so much for always putting up with me. I love you (Y/N)’_ a small note reads. Its attached to a small box.
  * Inside is a small heart pendant and when you look to your silly ass boyfriend next to you he’s uncharacteristically silent.
  * “Do you like it?” 
  * “Of course I do”
  * “I just figured if you were going to have my heart, you might as well have a physical representation of it.”
  * 😍😭😍😭😍😭😍




	13. Outed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Can you do a Zach Dempsey imagine using 17 & 62 from your prompt? 17. “Well, she’s hot. Why don’t you try to date her?” & 62\. “You really broke her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My longest one is a Zach imagine and my shortest one was a Zach imagine. Go figure. I just got to the point pretty quickly. Short and sweet, I suppose. ♥ I’m also pretty tired so that probably contributes. LOL.

“Dempsey! Where are you going?”

You peeked over your shoulder to see Bryce Walker headed for your boyfriend. Well, not that he knew he was your boyfriend. No one knew, and for awhile, you honestly liked it. You liked the idea of sneaking around and the adrenaline that would course through your veins when you were almost caught. It was fun for the summer, sure, but you’d been back at school for two months and it was honestly starts to hurt when your boyfriend avoids your gaze.

“I’m not going anywhere, Bryce.” You heard him respond, annoyed.

“We need to get you a new girl my friend.” Bryce told him. “Well, she’s hot. Why don’t you try to date her?”

Fury coursed through your system as you slowly turned around to see who he was referring to. Shock replaced fury when you saw them looking at you. Zach sighed, shaking his head at his friend, mumbling something you could hear.

“Nonsense!” Bryce exclaimed. “Hey! (Y/N), come over here for a minute.” You sigh yourself, closing your locker and making your way to the two boys. “You wanna go on a date with my friend Zach here? Of course you do.” You blinked your eyes in shock at Zach, who just shook his head slowly. “There you go Dempsey. Not that hard is it. I’ll leave you kids to make your arrangements.”

Once he was out of earshot, Zach spoke. “So, did you wanna go on a date?” He asked, testing the waters.

“Sorry, I can’t. I already have a boyfriend.” You shrugged. “He’s a big basketball player. You might actually know him.” You said, irritation sliding into your tone.

“This could be a good opportunity to let everyone in on us.” He murmured, and your anger melted away.

“Are you actually ready for that?” You ask seriously.

“I am.” He says simply, causing a small smile to pop up on your cheeks. “I love you, (Y/N). I just, I dunno. I guess I just didn’t want people in my business.”

“Of all the business to keep people out of, this isn’t the one.” You remark quietly. “I just want to be able to kiss you without a care in the world.” Zach looked up and down the hall, before pulling you close and kissing you, deeply. The wind seemed to be knocked out of you, but you return the kiss, relief and serenity overcoming you. When you break apart, you look into his eyes, seeing nothing but love and affection staring down at you.

“I fucking knew it!” A voice called down the hall. Zach’s best friend Justin slammed into the side of him. “What’s up (Y/N)?” He asked, peaking an eyebrow at you. “So how long you guys been lying to me?” He asked seriously.

“It wasn’t lying to keep somethings private.” Zach said frustrated.

“No, keeping things private is like, not telling me what you do to each other in the middle of the night.” Justin laughed. He saw Bryce down the hall. “I think he suspected something too. After you wanted nothing to do with that chick the other night.” Justin remarked quietly. You raise your eyebrow at Zach, but he just mouths “Later” to you.

“Damn Zachy, you really broke her down for yourself already.” Bryce said, sauntering over to the three of you. “I was just suggesting you go on a date and you’re already playing tonsil hockey with her.”

“On that note, I’ve got to go.” You say, spinning on your heel and heading down the hall. Zach’s quick to catch up with you, gently entwining his fingers into yours.

“Ignore Bryce.” He tells you softly. “He’s a fucking idiot.”

“He’s your friend.” You respond, confused.

“He’s known about you for awhile.” Zach admits. “Not by my choice mind you, he saw you on my phone. I tried to blow it off but he tried to get some drunk girl to try to hook up with me, to kind of gauge what was going on with us.” Zach sighed inwardly.

“I’m just going to assume that didn’t pan out and preserve the relationship.” You say, shaking your head at him.

“Needless to say.” Zach grabbed your wrist gently, pulling you to a stop and bringing you into his arms. “(Y/N), regardless of how I got here, I’m happy I’m with you.” He kisses you gently, passion firing up between you.

“Mr. Dempsey! Ms. (Y/L/N)! Knock it off!” The guidance counselor Mr. Porter called from behind you. You sigh into him, resting in his embrace trying to hide from the embarrassment.

“I love you.” You tell him simply, holding him tightly.

“I love you too.”


	14. Finally. (Smut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hello lovely! Could you possibly do #13 and #30 off the smut prompt list with Zach? ( 13. How quickly can you cum? 30. If we keep this up, it only ends one way. )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Well, its smut so that’s a hard warning. Plus this features both Bryce and Monty and Monty is like your ex but I really wanted to just lob insults and he’s just garbage okay I needed someone to be an ex and it wasn’t going to be Bryce. Lol.

“How quickly can you come?” Zach asked you, getting a roar of laughter from the guys around you.

“I don’t know Dempsey, no one’s ever done it for me.” You retort, casting your eyes to the fuming Monty in the corner. You watch as his jaw drops and he succumbs to skulking out of the room.

“Oh really?” Bryce Walker says, slime oozing in every syllable.

“I wouldn’t even worry about it Walker, I’m pretty sure just your face would make it impossible for you too.” You say, standing up and moving toward the kitchen. A low ‘ooooh’ followed you as you left the room. You brace yourself on the counter, alcohol and a head rush taking away your balance if only momentarily. You move toward the sink and splash some water to cool you off. A shuffling behind you sets you on edge, but you don’t even look up from your paper towel. “Fuck off Walker, I wouldn’t let you touch me with a ten foot pole.”

“Not, uh, not Bryce.” A shy voice says from behind you. You turn around, surprised to see Zach Dempsey standing in the doorway. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.” You snort, an amused smile spreading over your features as you toss your paper towel in the trash.

“Trust me Dempsey, there’s nothing to be embarrassed of. Maybe for Monty, but its not my fault I was better at it than he ever was.” You chuckle lightly, surprised to feel anxiety washing over you as you looked at the tall jock across from you.

“You know, I never understood why you were with him. I mean, he’s my friend don’t get me wrong, but you just… I don’t know.” His eyes were taking you in inch by inch as he spoke. You felt your cheeks burn, writing that off on the alcohol in your system. “I guess I was just jealous.” He said, his voice raw. For once, you have no witty response but you can’t take your eyes off of him.

“I guess I can’t blame you. I am one hell of a catch.” You breathe finally. Your eyes trace the muscles in his arms, and you’re unable stop your mind playing back a scenario that makes your heart race. You turn away from him, heading for the fridge to pull out a can of soda to mix with vodka. “You want something to drink?” You squeak out, embarrassed at your fantasies.

“Sure.” He pauses and you can feel his eyes scanning over you. “You okay?” He asks finally.

“I’m great!” You say, your voice a couple octaves higher than intended. You drink to hide the flush in your cheeks. You hand him his, your hands feeling ablaze when they graze his. A slight gasp slips between your lips and your eyes dart up to meet his. He seems to be trying to read your face, trying to figure out what you’re thinking but if you’re perfectly honest, you don’t even know what you’re thinking.

“I’m really glad you came tonight.” He murmurs, finally breaking the silence between you. You bite your lip up at him, trying to tear your gaze away from his lips and stop thinking about how he tastes. You opt for your drink, which was far less sweet than you were imagining his lips to be.

“Yeah, me too. I was worried about seeing Monty, but he basically just glared at me all night.” You tell him absently. “I wouldn’t have come if you hadn’t invited me.” You pause, clarity washing over you momentarily. “Why did you invite me?” You ask suspiciously.

“(Y/N), are you just asking me that to make me say it?” He asks incredulously.

“I just… I just wanna know why.” You say, gaze narrowing. “Did you think I’d be easy or something?” You regretted the words the moment they left your mouth and you saw the hurt on his face. “I didn’t mean… I just… Sorry.” You mumble.

“(Y/N), I’ve watched you everyday for the past two months being touted as a prize by one of my best friends, wanting to rip is goddamn head off every goddamn moment.” He tells you quietly. “I couldn’t say anything but the moment I heard you dumped his stupid ass, it was like the heavens parted and my moment was there, ripe for the taking. But I don’t want to be just a rebound, I want to be the real thing with you.”

“Zach, I-” You start, but he cuts you off.

“No, just let me talk, please.” He pleads. “I’ll wait until you are ready, and even if that never happens, that’s okay too.” You move closer to him, only causing him to step back. “I love you (Y/N). I have for awhile. I know you probably don’t feel the same, but I just had to get it off my chest because I couldn’t just keep looking at you knowing I hadn’t even tried.”

His eyes finally meet yours, and you’re surprised to see them damp. Your heart thuds in your chest as you pull him into your embrace, pressing your lips on his. He’s surprised, if only for a moment before he returns your kiss eagerly. He tastes better than you could’ve ever imagined, and your heart races as he picks you up and rests you against the counter. Your hands begin exploring his chest and the definition in his muscles. The kiss deepens, his hands also beginning to explore your body. He breaks away from you, fighting his better self.

“If we keep this up, it only ends one way.” He tells you panting. You consider a second and nod sadly, pushing him back gently.

“I guess, we should wait.” You nod sadly. Your body and heart are screaming at you but you know you have to stop. If he’s disappointed, you would never know. He helps you off the counter as your mind and heart war with each other. You take a small sip of your drink, watching him carefully. “I don’t want to though.” You hear yourself mutter quietly. Your eyes dart to his, a look of relief coming over his face as he pulls you into his embrace. His lips press to yours desperately, a moan leaking out as he kisses you. The sound inflames your skin and you’re desperate to feel his skin against yours. You pull his shirt over his head, disappointed to break the kiss but excited to see the skin now exposed to you. You pull your shirt over your head, eager to feel his skin on yours, leaving only your bikini top separating the top half of you. His skin his hot yours as he pulls you close to bury his face in your neck. You move your hair out of his way, opening your neck up to flurry of kisses, and he moves further down your body to your breasts. He lifts you back up to the counter again, leaning you back. The cold marble chills you, but his hot breath balances your temperature. You arch your back to undo your bikini knot, unwittingly pressing your breasts into his face. He groans hungrily as he buries his face into your chest. You press a finger to his forehead and push gently to slide the bikini off. He looks over you, amazed at the sight splayed under him.

“You are so fucking beautiful.” He murmurs. His eyes eat you up, and for a moment you feel exposed, but as you watch his gaze, you realize he is appreciating every curve of your body.

“Touch me, please.” You whisper. He happily obliges and buries his face back into your breasts. Your head arches back as he takes your nipple into his mouth before moving to the underside of your breast, taking your breath away. “I want you.” You whisper breathlessly.

“You want me to what?” He asks between kisses. He’s nearing your belly button now, and you can feel every nerve perking up in attention.

“I want you…” You gasp gently as his kisses along your navel. He’s reached your shorts, and anticipation is driving you wild. “Please.” You murmur, quickly moving your hands to your waistline to unbutton your shorts. You lift your lower half as he slides the shorts off and rests them next to you.

“Right here?” He asks hesitantly, casting a glance over his shoulder to the dying down party.

“Please, Zach.” You beg, sitting up on your elbows. “I need to feel you.” He glances at the doorway one last time before shaking his concerns away and returning to you. He slides your bikini bottoms down onto the floor, using the pad of his thumb to make you squirm.

“You’re so wet.” He says, amazed. “I can’t believe I had this much of an effect on you.” He murmurs. He gently swirls his thumb around your clit, sending shivers down your spine. “Can I taste you?” He asks nervously. You nod fervently and he kneels down in front of you. You moan from the heat of his breath on you before his tongue begins to swirl around, lapping your juices up. “Fuck (Y/N), you taste so good.” He murmurs. His breath sends shivers up your spine again. He takes his time, taking care to avoid the clit directly, opting to circle around it and tease the surrounding area.

“Please Zach.” You beg. He never breaks stride, but you feel a finger slide inside of you, pressing against the wall, massaging you from both sides. You anchor your feet onto the edge of the counter, bucking your hips against his face, feeling yourself get closer and closer to your own edge. His free hand comes up to your mouth to muffle you as you finally make it over, your body shuddering as you ride out the subsequent high. He doesn’t stop, opting to only slow his movements until the shudders subside. When he does stop, he gently rests his chin on your pubic mound, smiling up at you.

“You fucking slut!” An enraged voice cries behind Zach. The moment is broken as the two of you turn to see Monty standing in the doorway, his face red with anger. “And you, you’re supposed to be my fucking friend you piece of shit.”

“Fuck.” Zach mutters, standing between you and the raging jock. You quickly slide your shirt and shorts back on before anyone else finds their way into the kitchen. “It’s over between you two.” Zach says cautiously as Monty stalks toward him.

“It’s bros before fucking hoes dude.” Monty seethes at Zach. “She’s a fucking bitch and I’m not surprised at her at all, but you dude…” Monty scoffs before swinging at Zach. Zach ducks back, pushing Monty to the floor with all his might.

“Dude, what the fuck is going on?” Bryce asks and you realize the remaining party goers have made their way into the room.

“I walked in here and Dempsey was…” Monty’s voice broke as he looked at you with disgust. Bryce was also looking you over, a disgusting smirk spreading over his face.

“You and (Y/N), eh Zach? Nice.” Bryce says simply, making your skin crawl. Zach nods, but doesn’t take his eyes off Monty. Zach has been careful to keep himself between the two of you but when you slide off the counter, you step in front of him.

“Fuck you Monty.” You spit at him. “We’re over. We’ve been over. You just won’t let go.” You look back at Zach stubbornly. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Zach nods, grabbing the rest of your clothes as you storm back into the living room to grab your belongings. Zach leads you out to his car and you’re too pissed to be amazed at the sixty thousand dollar speed demon you were now sitting in. Zach peels out of the driveway, driving into the inky night.

“Are you okay?” He asks you for the second time tonight. His face looks you over with concern.

“I’m fine. I just… I wish I never wasted any of my time on that fucking asshole.” You grumble. “Why couldn’t you just say something sooner dammit.” You demand. He raises his eyebrow at you and you can’t help but chuckle. “I’m sorry.” You giggle.

“I wish I had.” Zach tells you, pulling in front of his house. “Sorry, I guess I was just kind of on autopilot. Did you want me to take you home?” He asks, shaking his head.

“I really don’t want to be alone.” You say quietly, looking at your hands. “Do you think they’re going to be mad at you?”

“I really don’t care if they are.” He tells you bluntly. It’s your turn to raise your eyebrow. “I’m serious.” He insists. “Monty isn’t going to do shit.” He looks you over, seeming to be exhausted by the nights events. A comfortable silence falls between you as the sky slowly starts to lighten.

“I guess you finally got an answer to your question.” You say when sunlight finally fills the car. Zach looks confused for a moment before realisation washes over his face and he laughs.

“Yeah, I guess I did. Pretty fun too.” He smirks at you.


	15. Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hi! Can i request a 78 and 85 with Zach? Like the reader is a chubby girl who lowkey has a huge crush on Zach, and he needs help in one of his subjects so he asks the reader to help him. Then one of the reader’s friends starts to notice that Zach is starting to act differently around the reader (like being extra kind, etc) and reader denies what her friend suggests (that Zach is starting to have feelings for her). You can do it however you want, dear author. Keep slayin this imagines! ❤
> 
>  
> 
> 78\. “He’s too handsome and nice to do such a thing.” && 85\. “You’re the only one who cares for me.” (GOD DAMMIT I FORGOT THE OTHER QUOTE FUCK FUCK FUCK.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I got this request and started working on it almost immediately. Its a little person to me, being a curvier lady myself. Plus Zach is the one that comes really easy to me to write. In any case, I hope you enjoy. (To the nonny who requested, I’m sorry it didn’t quite go like you requested, but I hope its still okay.)  
> Warning: None really, but I worry someone might take offense to how I refer to thinner women. I was going off of things that have been said to me so please understand I don’t mean to be offensive. God I’m stressing tf out about this now.

“Seriously (Y/N), just talk to him.” Your best friend Ally told you, glaring at you from above her phone. “If I have to keep hearing this ‘will she won’t she’ shit I’m going to rip my hair out.”

“But he’s too cute for me!” You cry dramatically, falling back onto your bed. “Zach Dempsey only knows me because I helped him with his history paper.”

“Okay, so ask him what he got on the paper. Tell him if he needs anymore help, you’re happy to help. Then, give him your number and lock it down.” She tells you plainly.

“Did you see his last girlfriend? I have no chance of locking anything down.” You tell her defeated.

“Then never talk to him and you’ll never know and you’ll be forever kicking yourself in the ass.” She shrugs. When you don’t respond, she glances up to see you staring out into space. “Seriously (Y/N), what’s the worst that could happen?” She asks gently.

“He could laugh in my face for even thinking I could have a chance with a guy like him.” You lament.

“He’s too nice to do something like that.” She tells you flatly. “Do you want me to talk to him? I could take all the guesswork out of it.”

“Don’t. You. Dare.” You growl before giggling, privately wishing you could just let her take your fate in her hands.

“Alright, alright, fine.” She surrenders. Looking at her watch, she gasps and starts grabbing her things. Alarm plasters your features as you look around looking for the fire. “It’s almost midnight!” She exclaims. “My dad is going to fucking kill me.”

“Why don’t you just stay the night here?” You ask standing up to stop her rushing around. “We have a project or something. Call from my phone so he’s knows you aren’t just covering up to go see Cyrus again.” Ally considers your words before extending her hand out for your phone.

“Hey dad, it’s me.” She says once her dad picks up. “Sorry I didn’t call, my phone died.” She retreats into the bathroom to continue the conversation and you lay back on your bed, staring at the ceiling. The idle moment sends your brain straight to Zach and you can’t help but think about his smile, and how the one he gives you always seems different than his usual. How he always seems to listen to what your saying instead of half listen, or how your stomach leaps when his hand touches yours. When Ally emerged from the bathroom she wore a look of achievement as she collapsed on your bed next to you. Silence falls between the two of you, sleepiness rolling over both of you.

“Do you really think I have a shot with him?” You ask absently.

“Zach’s a good guy. He’s not shallow like the other guys in that damn school. Give him a little more credit.”

“I just…” You pause, sighing inwardly. “I just don’t look like any of his exes. They’re all so skinny and I’m just… me.”

“What you mean you actually have tits?” Ally remarks. You shove her, trying to cover your laughter.

“That’s not very nice to say.” You tell her, trying to restrain the smile playing at your cheeks.

“I look at you everyday, you’re beautiful.” Ally tells you genuinely. “If Zach doesn’t see that, it’s his loss.” Silence falls between you as you consider her words. Your eyes close and you start to drift off. You roll over and snuggle up to her warmth, resulting in her giggling before playing with your hair. “Please let me talk to him, just to even get a gauge of how he feels about you. I can’t be your cuddle buddy forever. Cyrus is starting to get jealous.”

“Fine.” You concede after a long pause. “Just try not seem like an ambassador or something.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She tells you, a wide smile spreading over her face.

~

You watch anxiously from behind a bookshelf as Ally talks to Zach in the library. You can’t help but envy her for her ability to talk to him easily when at the moment, you felt like you couldn’t breathe. You watch his body language like a hawk, waiting for him to recoil in horror when she finally asked him the question of the hour but it never happened. Instead you saw his cheeks redden as her eyes flicked to where she knew you were hiding, a small smile playing at her cheeks. The bell rings, startling you and you have to clasp your hands over mouth to stop yourself from screaming. Zach grabs his bag and heads for the door and you could swear his eyes fall on your hiding spot. You seriously must be losing it because you were certain you saw a smile play on his cheeks before he disappeared out into the hallway.

“What did he say Alexandra.” You grill her when you finally make it to lunch.

“You keep calling me that and I’m not going to tell you.” She tells you, annoyance flickering in her tone.

“I’m sorry.” You apologize quickly. “Please, what did he say?”

“I think he likes you.” She said simply, taking a bite out of her apple. You stare at her as she chews thoughtfully, clearly enjoying your freaking out.

“Okay…” You start carefully, “what makes you think that?” Your tone is painfully even, trying to keep her from withholding information.

“Why don’t you just ask him?” She smiles sweetly at you before looking over your shoulder and smiling wider. “In fact, there he is now, go talk to him.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” You whisper incredulously.

“Ah ah, language.” She tsks. She nods over your shoulder and you feel lightheaded when the tall jock sits down next to you, grinning like mad. “I’m gonna let you kids chat, I have a paper to work on.” She says, ignoring your wide eyes of panic as she waves goodbye and disappears back into the school. Silence falls between you and Zach with her departure, but you can’t help but keep trying to look over at him.

“So how did you paper go?” You ask nervously, focusing your attention on the orange in front of you and needing to forcibly removing its skin.

“It, uh, it went great.” Zach said surprised. “I really owe you. I got a B on it.” Excitement overpowered your anxiety and your eyes snapped to him, a wide smile covering your face.

“That’s so awesome. So no more worries for the season?” You asked excitedly.

“As long as I keep up on my homework, I should be good.” He tells you proudly.

“If you ever need any help, just let me know. I’m happy to help.” You kick yourself internally, realizing you’re going with Ally’s exact script. “What, uh, what did Ally say to you earlier?” You ask, nerves taking back over as you go back to your orange.

“Well she was surprisingly interested in my grades.” He tells you slyly. “Then asked me how my history paper went so well and I told her you helped me. Then she finally got to the point and asked me what I thought of you.” He said, eyeing you humorously.

“Oh really. I dunno what that was all about.” You lied weakly, a stubborn smile giving you away. “What did you tell her?” You ask quietly. It was Zach’s turn to be shy this time, scratching his head and looking out the window.

“I don’t know.” He said finally, causing your stomach to drop. He sees the smile dissipate from your cheeks and quickly rephrases. “I mean, I think about you a lot. I just don’t know what to think. You’re… different.”

“Different how?” You ask, indignation giving your voice volume.

“Not a bad different. Is it hot in here or am I just really bad at this?” He says, taking a drink of his water. You can’t help but giggle at his embarrassment, and oddly enough, that seems to calm him slightly. “You’re just smart, and funny. You don’t care about all the drama that goes on in this place and you’re always so supportive and when I think of you I just get this warm feeling and I –”

“Zach, calm down, take a drink. It’ll be okay.” You tell him calmly, although internally you’re leaping for joy. He laughs nervously as he takes another drink.

“You wanna get out of here for a little bit?” He asks you.

“Where do you want to go?”

“I just want to walk. It’s easy for me to talk when I’m moving.”

“Okay.”

You cross the campus, going past the baseball field where he helps you climb over a fence where you find a large field to cross. You’re both silent for a while, only giggling now and then when you would catch each other’s eye.

“Would it make you feel any better if I told you I liked you?” You ask finally, all air seeming to leave your chest as you watch his face for a reaction. You watch a relieved look cross his features.

“I mean, I kind of figured that from your friend but it’s nice to hear it from you.” He tells you, stress seeming to lift from his shoulders.

“She was convinced I would never talk to you about it.” You tell him sheepishly. “I had a feeling even if I didn’t let her, she would still work it into a conversation somehow.”

“Why didn’t you want to talk to me about it?” He asks curiously.

“I didn’t think I had even a remote chance with you.” You shrug. “You’re you and I’m, well I’m me.”

“And?” He asks, eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know. I guess…” You stop in your tracks, staring down at your feet. “I guess I convinced myself I didn’t look a damn thing about your exes so you wouldn’t even remotely feel the same way about me.” You tell him sadly.

“Why because you’re a little curvier?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“Well that’s a nice way of putting it, but yeah.” You sigh.

“Can I tell you something and you’ll believe me? You won’t just think I’m trying to be nice?” He asks you seriously.

“I mean, I make no guarantees but go for it.” You reply apprehensively.

“I like how curvy you are. You look like a real down to Earth person to me.” He tells you genuinely. “All of my exes… Bryce hooked me up with them. They were nice but they’re just… not my type.” He tells you, bringing his eyes up to meet your gaze.

“Are you fucking with me Dempsey?” You ask, eyes narrowed.

“No? Fuck (Y/N), no I’m not fucking with you.” He tells you exasperated. “Do I really seem like the type to waste my time to bring you out her to fuck with you?” Offense was out in full force in his tone, and you smile sheepishly at him.

“I just have to ask. Don’t be surprised if I ask you like three or four more times.” You tell him. He smiles and rolls his eyes at you, but the offended nature seems to be let go for now.

“Whatever (Y/N).” He tells you smiling.

“What do we do with this information now?” You ask hesitantly.

“Well, I could take you out one night? If you wanted to.” He suggests nervously.

“Aren’t you worried what your friends might think?”

“I can deal with them.” He brushes the thought off and you can’t stop a wide smile spreading across your features. “I like you (Y/N). A lot.”


	16. Four Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 58&72 with zachy? Can a broken heart damage a body system? & I missed sleeping with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is unadulterated fluffy goodness. Just everything about this made me feel so warm and fuzzy.

“Can a broken heart damage the body?” You ask melodramatically clutching at your chest.

“Summer’s almost here, and then I’m all yours.” Zach tells you flatly. You pout at him over your lunch, trying to pretend you weren’t truly upset.

“I just miss you.” You lament dramatically, earning a frown from him.

“I miss you too baby, but we’re here together now.” He tells you, reaching over to clasp his hand around yours. “Let’s celebrate that, all right? It’s not everyday they call off practice.” His eyes meet you slyly and your heart leaps in your chest.

“You’re free tonight?” You whisper excitedly, gripping his hand tightly. He nods slowly, a smile quickly spreading across his face. You squeal in delight, clasping your hands onto his cheeks and pulling him into a kiss. “What are we going to do tonight?” You ask, your excitement getting the best of you.

“Well, Bryce was going to throw a party tonight.” He suggests. You narrow your eyes at him in annoyance. “Or maybe we just hang out at your place tonight.”

“Your mom still won’t let me over will she?” You asked annoyed. “I thought she liked me.”

“She does, she just…” He pauses a moment, choosing his words carefully. “She just doesn’t want me to fuck up my future.” You raise your eyebrow, affronted. “In the eighteen years plus way, (Y/N).”

“We’re careful.” You say stubbornly, stabbing the cafeteria meatloaf on your tray. Zach glares at you playfully before pulling you close to him. You snuggle into him, happy to just be surrounded by his warmth. He kisses the top of your head tenderly, lingering a moment to just enjoy the moment. “I love you so much.” You murmur, your body completely at peace.

“I love you too baby.” He assures you, squeezing you tight. The bell sounds and you consider throwing your carton of milk at it. “I’ll meet you by my car after school okay? And we’ll decide what to get up to.” He tells you, gathering his things and picking up yours as well.

“You know you don’t have to carry my things for me, I am fully capable.” You protest. Zach just stares at you blankly for a moment, before turning on his heel and heading toward your next class.

“I know you’re a strong woman but I really like doing it for you.” He tells you as you follow him. “It makes me happy to help you.” You’re thoughtful for a moment before conceding.

“I guess I can give you this one Dempsey.” You tell him, a playful smirk tickling the corners of your mouth. “But don’t you get any wild ideas about opening doors for me. I will not stand for it.” You assert playfully. You can’t see his face but you know he was rolling his eyes at you because when you make it to your next class he grandly opens the door to let you in. You want to be mad but Zach looks so proud of himself that all you can do is laugh and shake your head as you take your books back. He leans down for a kiss and for a moment you swerve out of the way, earning you a distraught look. He starts to walk away, a frown distorting his features before you grab his wrist to pull him back to you. You see the smile forming as he turns back around, pressing his lips eagerly to yours. Your teacher spots the two of you and shoos him away as the bell rings.

The rest of the day is uneventful, save for your excitement for that final bell. All afternoon, your stomach writhed with excitement, and when that bell finally did ring, you shot out of that classroom. It was the weekend and more importantly you had an entire night of Zach all to yourself. You drop your books off at your locker before scurrying across the campus to Zach’s car. The smile that formed when you got out of class began faltering as you approach the car, dismayed to see Bryce and Justin standing with Zach. The three of them seemed to be laughing at something that Justin said but as you approached and caught Zach’s eye, his face grew serious as he talked to his friends.

“Come on Zachy, come out tonight.” Bryce insisted, shoving him playfully. “Bring (Y/N), we got a night off, it’s time to party.”

“I can’t, I have to watch May tonight.” Zach tells his friend, his eye catching yours briefly.

“How old is May now anyway?” Justin asked. “She can handle a night on her own.”

“No Foley, she can’t.” Zach glares at him. Justin raises his hands in surrender.

“Don’t worry about it Justy.” Bryce tells him, his eyes looking you up and down. “I’m sure Dempsey has his reasons for staying in.” The smirk on Bryce’s face made your skin crawl. Zach put his arm around you protectively.

“Well (Y/N), shall we?” He says, trying to break the tension. You nod quickly, and the group disperses. Zach opens the passenger side door for you, a teasing smirk gracing his features. You huff as you climb into the car, smiling up at him as he gently closes the door for you.

“You keep this up and I’m not going to be able to do anything on my own.” You threaten lightly as he climbs in and starts the car. “I’d rather not be lazy.”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” He tells you, casting a glance over to you as he shifts gears and peels out of the parking lot. You brace yourself against the dash and huff, trying to resist a smile.

“It’s not dramatics.” You insist. “You’re keep trying to do everything for me and I’m going to get used to in and then all of a sudden you’re waiting on me hand and foot.” You giggle when he gives you an incredulous look, unable to keep up your ruse.

“Even if it comes to that (Y/N), I would be honored.” He tells sweetly. You slide your fingers in between his as you both fall silent. The low radio and the car’s lull you into a sleepy stupor and before you know it, he’s pulling into a driveway. His driveway.

“What are we doing here?” You ask as he puts the car in park and shuts it off.

“I wasn’t lying to Bryce. I have to watch May this weekend.” He smiles at you as your heart begins to race.

“Your mom’s going out of town?” You ask breathlessly, excitement getting the best of you.

“She’ll be gone until Monday morning.” He smiles at you and you all but squeal with glee. “She texted me during seventh period. I just wanted to surprise you.”

“This day just keeps getting better and better.” You sigh happily. Excitement courses through your veins and you feel ready to explode.

“Wait here, I wanna make sure she’s gone.” He tells you, climbing out of the car. You watch him jog lightly to the door before disappearing on the other side. It feels like an eternity before he reappears, signaling for you to come inside.

“May, you know (Y/N).” Zach says cautiously. “You’re not going to tell Mom she was here are you?” Zach’s sister May looks you over carefully before smiling widely.

“No Zach.” She says annoyed. “As long as you keep up the deal, I’ll keep your secret.”

“Of course.” Zach laughs sheepishly. You give him a question look but he shakes his head, amused.

“I remember you. You’re the girl who is always cheering for my brother the loudest.” May tells you, eyeing you cautiously. You blush and she smiles at you. “He’s talked to my mom about you.” She tells you sharply, before her face softens and she smiles. “I think he really likes you.” She giggles. Zach gasps, embarrassed before chasing her down the hall. Your heart thuds, watching him be so sweet with her. Your last boyfriend was always sending his sister away, not wanting to be bothered by her. Watching Zach with May was… refreshing.

When he returns, you can’t help but giggle as he pants. “Kid’s faster than she looks.” He chuckles.

“What’s this trade off you have with your sister to keep her quiet. You doing all her homework for her or something?” You ask skeptically.

“Are you out of your mind, that kid is a damn genius.” He says, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. He tosses the cap on the counter before drinking half in what seemed like one gulp. “She can do math that just looks like gibberish to me.” He pants, hiccuping quietly. “She helps me with my homework.” You giggle in disbelief and he shrugs shamelessly.

“Alright if it’s not homework then what is it?” You ask incredulously. Zach sighs and runs his hand over the back of his head.

“She doesn’t really like Mom’s cooking. Specifically the vegetables.” He admits. “I eat them when Mom’s not looking, she doesn’t snitch on me.”

“Really… doesn’t seem like it balances out.” You say skeptically.

“She really doesn’t like vegetables.” He insists. “Plus I’ve been known to sneak out to get her something to eat if she didn’t get enough at dinner. She doesn’t have to hear about it from Mom and in a sense, neither do I.” Zach shrugs.

“You guys are something else.” You mutter under your breath, shaking your head. “So what are we doing here?” You ask.

“Well, I was thinking that if you didn’t want to go to Bryce’s party then we could just spend the evening together. I’ve been meaning to start a new binge on Netflix.” He says, a small smile playing at his face. “We can order in and snuggle all night.”

“Sounds like heaven.” You sigh in relief. One on one time with Zach was your favorite way to spend time with him, hands down but add in cuddles and food? Yes please.

Zach orders take out from your favorite restaurant but leaves you with May while he picks it up. You boot up his console, scrolling through Netflix looking for a new show to start when May knocks gently at the door.

“Hey (Y/N), where’s Zach?” She asks curiously, lingering in the doorway.

“He went to pick up some food, what’s up?” You ask, sitting up.

“Oh I was just getting hungry.” She shrugs watching you carefully. “Do you love my brother?” The suddenness of the question catches you off guard and you stutter a moment. “Because if you hurt him I’m going to hurt you, okay?” The small child smiles sweetly at you.

“I love Zach very much.” You assure her. She watches your face a moment before nodding.

“Good. He talks about you a lot.” She tells you. “I know you’ve met my mother. I think she actually likes you.” She tells you seriously. “Mom doesn’t like any of Zach’s girlfriends.”

“How many girls has Zach brought home to meet you?” You ask hesitantly.

“Only three, but they were all really rude. You seem really nice though.” She tells you with a smile. “They never last long, I guess that’s why he was reluctant to bring you home. Once Mom decides she doesn’t like you, Zach doesn’t stick around.” Nerves bundle in your stomach at the thought of Zach leaving you, and May picks up on it. “Don’t be scared.” She reassures you. “You’re really nice. I can see why Zach likes you. You’re the only one who would actually talk to me.” You smile at her when you hear Zach’s car pull up in the driveway. You hear May say something about food as she darts down the hallway, eagerly meeting her brother at the door.

“I have something for you.” Zach murmurs softly as he divvies out the food between the three of you. May thanks Zach for dinner before disappearing up into her room. Zach grabs silverware and a couple sodas before the two of you retreat into his room. “What did you and May get up to while I was gone?” He asks as the two of you settle into his bed.

“Oh just some minor threats on her part, nothing to wild.” You tell him nonchalantly. You see him stifle a chuckle as he looks over at you, eyes wide.

“Oh really?” He smirks at you.

“Just the standard, ‘you hurt my brother I kill you’ stuff. Like I said, nothing crazy.” You shrug. “What’d you get me?” You change the topic eagerly. He gasps softly and darts out of the room, returning with a small box in one and the other tucked behind his back.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but today was our four month anniversary.” He starts and you nod slowly. You had remembered but it was just a small blip on your radar, you honestly didn’t expect him to care. “For four months, you’ve been a constant source of positivity and support even when I didn’t have all the time in the world to spend with you. You’ve been so patient with me so I got you this.” He hands you the small box and watches eagerly as you open it. It contains a small silver open ring with a sun and a moon. The symbols are speckled with small stones and before you realize it a small tear streaks down your cheek. “You are my sun and my moon (Y/N). You are my everything.” He tells you. You can’t stop staring at the ring, your hands shaking as you slide it on your finger.

“It’s beautiful Zach.” You whisper, not trusting your voice to go much louder. “I love it.” Zach beams at you, overwhelming love in his eyes. He leans down to kiss you tenderly, the kiss growing deeper and more passionate with every passing second. You force the two of you apart, hunger overpowering your lust.

“I’m really glad you like it. I ordered it last week.” He tells you, popping the lid on his container of food. “I wanted to get you something to thank you for putting up with my hectic schedule.” You shake your head in amusement at him.

“The time I spend with you is thanks enough baby.” You insist gently. “I’m not exactly the easiest person to deal with either.” Zach scoffs at you, going back to Netflix, finally picking a show to put on.

“The hardest part though?” He says as the theme plays. “Convincing Coach Rick to call off practice so I could ‘rest’.” He smiles smugly. You shake your head in amused disbelief.

“I thought that was a little strange.” You admit. “I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth though.” You finish eating and slide under the covers next to him. “How long has it been since we’ve actually gotten to sleep together?” You ask after resting your head on his chest.

“Pretty sure since Bryce’s party after Spring Break.” He tells you, a smile playing on his face. “Funny story, that was the night I fell in love with you.”

“Oh really?” You ask surprised.

“Feeling you in my arms that night was the greatest feeling of my life. Better than winning any game has ever felt.” He admits easily. “I knew there wouldn’t be anyone else for me that night. I love you so much (Y/N).” He kisses your forehead tenderly. You snuggle in closer to him, slowly drifting off.

“I missed sleeping with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am always open to more requests so leave them in the comments or on my tumblr zacharycupcakedempsey.tumblr.com either way I'll get them and hopefully be able to get work. Thank you so much for reading!


	17. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I watched the trailer and got inspired. It's been known to happen.  
> Warnings: There’s some violence, there’s a reference to what Monty did to Tyler, there’s angst and there’s Monty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I watched the trailer and I saw Zach with Chloe and so I had to write something because my heart was screaming.  
> (also, any and all dislike discern toward Chloe is because of Steel Bars and not a reflection of how I actually feel about the character outside of the fact I am a little surprised Zach is going to be with her despite the fact that I suppose that should’ve been obvious)

Pulling the door open with a long groan, you weren’t ready for the sight you were treated to within. Zach, your Zach, was snuggled up with her. With Chloe. Shaking your head, you reminded yourself, again and again, he wasn’t yours anymore. You had seen to that. You just hadn’t expected him to move on so quickly.

Realizing you were frozen in your place by all the stares pouring in around you, you shook your head sharply. Pointedly avoiding all of gazes burning holes into your skin, you took extra care to avoid the one that felt like an actual fire lapping your skin. You could feel Zach’s eyes following you as you disappeared into the bathroom, wiping away the tears that started stinging in your eyes. The bathroom was blissfully empty, and you allowed yourself to dissolve onto the floor as the weight of your pain sunk onto your shoulders. 

“(Y/N)? Are you in here?” A cautious voice cut through your sobs. Jerking your head up, you found Jessica pushing through the door at the sight of you crumpled on the filthy bathroom floor. “(Y/N)! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asked, shaking her head almost immediately when she realized how stupid of a question that had been, instead addressing the obvious, “I thought you broke up with him?”

“I didn’t think he would move on so quickly,” you croaked, looking back at your hands through your blurred vision, “I told him I wanted to take a break for a little while. We’d been having a lot of problems lately but I didn’t think he would go straight after…  _her_.”

“Sweetheart, I hate to be the one to tell you this but-”

“Save it Jess, I really don’t need this right now,” you cut her off, pushing yourself off the floor and moving over to sink to see where to start salvaging your make-up.

“Uh, okay, rude. Fuck you too then.” She rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and pulling the door open with enough force to send it ricocheting into the wall behind it.

Taking a breath, you focused on your make-up, knowing if you thought about how much you’d just pissed Jessica off you’d only serve to make yourself more upset. Using a damp paper towel, you started dabbing under your eyes, trying to reduce the redness that had taken over your face. The bell ringing startled you, but you resolved to finish up first, telling yourself that first period would just have to understand. When you were finally satisfied that your appearance didn’t give away that you’d been crying, you pulled the door open to the bathroom and headed to first period.

“Ms. (Y/L/N), thank you so much for joining us.” Mr. Clarke frowned as you entered the classroom.

“Uh, feminine issues,” you muttered as you found your seat and plopping into it.

“Yeah, she thinks she fu- messed up dumping Dempsey,” a smug voice called from behind you. You turned to find Monty staring at you lecherously, “You should give me a chance, (Y/N). Dempsey can’t treat you right like I can.”

“I don’t think we have the same kinks,” you shot back dangerously, “See, I don’t like foreign objects in any of my orifices like you seem to be more than happy to prov-”

“That’s enough!” Mr. Clarke interrupted you.

“I didn’t fucking do whatever that little fucking psychopath said I did,” Monty glared, ignoring the teacher.

“So worried about being a ‘man’,” you scoffed, “Why don’t you man up to what you did to Tyler.” You stood up, knocking your chair down.

“(Y/N), Montgomery!” Mr. Clarke intervened again, pushing his way between the two of you. Your chest heaved with anger, grateful to have someone to take your aggression out on.

“Everyone knows what you did, Monty. Just because you didn’t go to jail doesn’t mean you got away with it,” you glared coldly. “I mean, just look at what happened to your pal Bryce.”

Everything happened so quickly, Monty’s chair hit the ground with a loud slap as it came in contact with the floor and he lunged for you, stopped only by the teacher cutting in between the two of you again. He shoved Monty back onto the floor but Monty leapt to his feet again, pushing Mr. Clarke into the desk behind him. He balled up his fist and sent it crashing painfully into your jaw. Initially stunned by the impact, you were able to dodge out of the way of his follow up, leaving only the wall for his fist to come in contact with. He cried out in anguish, trying to shake the pain out of his hand.

“Montgomery! Principal’s office!” Mr. Clarke bellowed, finally at his wit’s end as he grabbed the scruff of Monty’s shirt and dragged him out into the hall. Monty glared at you the entire time, spitting at you as he was pulled through the doorway.

Unable to take the stares from around the room, you grabbed your bag, following the two out of the classroom, heading out the front door instead. You started walking, to nowhere in particular, until you finally threw your belongings onto the bleachers as you rubbed your jaw gingerly. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? Two days ago, you and Zach had been sitting out here, talking about random bullshit and now you were alone nursing a bruised jaw.

“H-Hey, (Y/N),” a voice you were simultaneously ecstatic and enraged to hear called nervously behind you, “You okay?”

“Leave me alone, Zach,” you shot him down, despite every fiber of your being begging you not to. You were silently relieved when he ignored your demands, plopping his bag down next to yours as he sat down next to you.

“I heard about Monty hitting you, are you okay?” he asked again, trying to get a good look at your face to assess the damage.

“I’m just mad I didn’t get the chance to hit him harder,” you lie, looking out onto the field opposite of where he was sitting, not allowing him a good look at the bruise already formed on your chin.

“You expect me to believe you hit him at all?” Zach grinned, reaching out and grabbing your hand gently, “These knuckles have never seen a fight a day in their lives,” he murmured, rubbing them softly. “No sense in tarnishing them on Monty’s ugly face.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to worry about?” you demanded, ripping your hand out of his.

“G-Girlfriend?” he asked, genuine confusion flooding his voice. “I thought that’s what I was doing?”

“You know what I mean Zachary.”

“A-Are you talking about Chloe?” Just by saying her name, you could feel his words cut open that fresh wound open all over again. Tears welled in your eyes as you looked over at him, demanding he continue wordlessly.

“I really don’t know what that was about. I was talking to Clay and Alex about how we were on a break and the next thing I knew she had her arm around my waist and-”

“I really don’t need to hear anymore,” you cut him off, grabbing your things as you started making your way off the bleachers, “I hope you guys are happy together.”

“(Y/N)- Come back!” he called after you, as you stormed off the bleachers. He caught up when you were halfway across the field, grabbing your arm to get you to turn and face him. You rip out of his grip, turning to glare at him when he raised his hands in surrender.

“Like I said, Dempsey, leave me the fuck alone,” you told him coldly, meeting his gaze with a determination that surprised even you. “These hands may not have been sullied by Monty’s face, but I’m sure your face would do fine just the same.”

“(Y/N), Jesus, chill the fuck out,” Zach shot back, stepping away from you, “I don’t want to be with Chloe, I want to be with you. Why don’t you believe that?”

“You’ve been dodging my calls for the past two weeks and I’m not supposed to pick up on the fact you’ve been acting weird? I’m supposed to just smile and assume everything’s okay?”

“(Y/N), I’ve been busy!”

“Zach, you’re always busy, but somehow you were able to make time for me before. What changed now?” you demanded, securing your hands on your waist as you glared up at him.

“Well before, we weren’t all being called in because of a fucking murder investigation for one? Bryce is dead, (Y/N), and we’re all fucking suspects,” he reminded you.

“Okay? How does that explain why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Jensen has been trying to figure out who did it, just like he always fucking does, and he’s enlisted my help and it’s just been a lot of talking with no real conclusions and I miss your calls and-”

“So now your game is to blame Clay?” you seethe, “Just fucking admit it Zachary, I told you I wanted a break, and you took that as a fucking free-for-all.”

“What are you talking about?” Zach asked, running his hands through his hair wildly. “Is something going on? Where is this coming from?”

“I thought everything was great and then you stopped texting me all the time like you used to, you stopped answering my calls and then I show up to school to find you all snuggled up with fucking Chloe Rice- I’m a little fucking pissed off,” you finish, letting out a huge breath, happy to finally have it all off of your chest.

“(Y/N), I need you to listen to me,” Zach murmured softly, grabbing your arm again, far more gentle than before, “I love you. The past couple months I’ve spent with you have been amazing. I’m sorry if I made you feel insecure, I didn’t mean to.” Tears poured down your cheeks as you force your way into his arms, relieved to finally hear words you hadn’t realized you’d been so desperate to hear.

“I-I’m so sorry,” you wept into his shirt, sniffling as you pull away to look up at him. “Th-there’s just been so much going on, everything with Bryce a-and Tyler-”

(Y/N), it’s okay. Trust me, I understand. I just need you to trust me. Trust what we have together, okay?”

“I’ve just been so messed up and I felt like I didn’t have anyone to turn to,” you murmur, pushing your way into his arms again, “I thought maybe if I asked you for a break you would notice something was up but you just seemed so happy to let me go and I guess it just broke my heart a little, I’m sorry, Zach, I’m so sorry,” you rambled.

“You don’t think that didn’t kill me inside?” he asked softly, running his fingers through your hair. “I thought Bryce was going to take everything away from me from beyond the grave,” he scoffed.

“I guess we better get back to class,” you remarked as the bell rang across campus. Taking Zach’s hand into yours, the two of you walked back into the school, earning you a sharp glare from Chloe.

“You never answered me, how’s your face?” Zach asked again, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at you.

“It fucking hurts, what do you think?” you grin up at him.

“You know if I have to kill Monty too we’ll just have to go through this all over again, right?” he lamented, sighing dramatically.

“W-Wait? TOO?”


	18. Nosy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin tries to ask you out but Zach... well, Zach likes you too. BUT IT'S FLUUUUUUUUUUFF

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried to write Fluff…. why did I try to write fluff? XD I mean, I’m not saying it’s bad but I thrive in angst so this is painfully short and I’m sorry. This was supposed to be like… Justin and Zach fighting over you in a fluffy way, but it turned in Zach realizes someone else is into you and makes his move.

Your phone buzzing surprised you, and you couldn’t help but groan as you stretched to grab it off the floor where it fell an hour or two ago. You were surprised to find a lengthy text from Justin Foley but your cheeks still twitched into a smile as you read it.

“ **Hey (Y/N), are you busy on Friday? I was thinking we could hang out. It’s been awhile since we’ve had any one on one time.** ”

You smirk at your phone, knowing exactly why the two of you haven’t had any alone time, mainly because you’ve been spending most of your time with the boy sitting at the end of your bed. Zach Dempsey.

“Who’s that?” he asks teasingly, playfully peeking around at your phone as you tuck it into your chest.

“None of your business Mr. Dempsey,” you chastise him, locking the screen and sliding your phone under your leg. “Now let’s see that essay, I’ll proofread yours if you’ll look over mine.”

“Seriously, (Y/N),” Zach remarked, a flat expression matting his features, unamused.

“Yes, Zachary, seriously. A fresh set of eyes helps with pacing and light proofreading,” you assure him, holding your hand out expectantly for his laptop.

“Doesn’t Google Docs do most of the proof reading that you need?” he whined, handing over his laptop as you pass him yours.

“It does, but I have a bad habit of leaving words out and for some reason Google doesn’t pick that up- Look Zach, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you sigh, pulling your phone out again to check the time.

“N-No, I do want to. I’ll tell you what,” he grinned, sliding over closer to you excitedly.

“Tell me what?” you ask, eyeing him at this new, closer proximity and trying to keep your breathing steady.

“You tell me who texted you, and I’ll read this paper over with the utmost precision,” he offers, his voice low and sultry. An infectious grin spreads over his face, one you only escape by casting your eyes to the ceiling.

“Why do you want to know so badly?” you groan, begrudgingly pulling your phone out again.

“Because I have a feeling I already know who it is,” Zach tells you flatly.

“Oh, and who’s that?”

“I’m pretty sure Foley wants to spend time with you. He’s trying to get you away from me for a change?”

“Wh-What? H-How- How did you know?” you sputter, checking your phone to find another message from Justin.

“ **I guess you’re hanging with Dempsey right now. Just so you know, he’s a good guy and all but I mean, a face that handsome? How’s a guy supposed to compete?** ”

Your face flushes at the message and a nervous giggle slips out despite your attempts at restraint. 

“What’d he say this time?” Zach asks, a note of frustration slipping into his voice.

“He, uh, he guessed I was with you right now and says you’ve got a very handsome face, one he finds hard to compete with,” you admit, your cheeks flushing at the admission. It’s not like Justin was wrong, just saying it outloud to Zach was almost more than you could take.

“Wh-What, no I don’t. I’m like, a five on a good day.” Any other guy making a claim like that would have been fishing for compliments but you knew Zach struggled with his self-image, even if you couldn’t understand why.

“Oh, come on Dempsey, I’d give you a solid 9.5 on a day where you woke up in a dumpster,” you tell him, mirroring the same flat look he’d given you earlier.

“D-Did you wanna cut this short and go hang out with Foley? I don’t mind,” he asks, trying to hide his disappointment. 

“You’d like that wouldn’t you,” you smirk, “You just don’t want to read my paper.”

“You caught me.” Zach grinned, stretching out on your bed. Your breath hitches at the sight, and you have to physically tear your eyes away from where his shirt was inching away from his shorts.

“Besides, Justin wants to hang out on Friday anyway, I have time for both of you,” you tease as your eyes trail back to his waistline. Shaking your head again, you open the lid to his laptop, biting your lip to resist the urge to look just once more.

“Friday, huh? Justy’s trying to take you out,” Zach grinned, sitting up to face you. “Do you like Justin? I mean, I’ll give you space if you’d rather spend time with him.”

You stare at Zach a moment, trying to process what he was suggesting, “Look Zach, if you have better things to do-”

“N-No, (Y/N), I didn’t mean it like that. I was just trying to give you an out if you needed it. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to me just because I, well, ya know, I like you.”

“Jesus Christ, Zach,” you breathe, all the air seemingly sucked from your chest at his admission. You shut the laptop quickly, sliding it back over to him as you bit your lip again, trying to bring yourself to meet his eyes.

“Sorry, (Y/N). Tell you what, I’ll just go and we can pretend I never said that,” he blushes, grabbing his laptop and shoving it back in his bag.

“N-No, Zach, I didn’t mean that,” you assure him quickly, climbing over the bed to him. You plop yourself at the edge of your bed, looking up at him earnestly, “I-I like you too, Zach.”

“Oh, jeez. That’s a relief.” He lets out a sigh of relief, sitting back down on the bed next to you. “Are you sure you don’t want to give Justin a chance?” he asks nervously, seeming to be strangled by the words he doesn’t want to ask.

“Zach, I’m sure,” you assure him, clasping your hand over his. His eyes meet yours, a strange look passing over them as he looks you over. 

“This might sound cheesy, but you look so beautiful tonight, (Y/N),” he murmurs softly, running his thumb over yours.

“It is cheesy,” you grin giddly, “but I love cheese, both the edible kind and the sappy, overdone kind.”

“Speaking of cheese, I’m starving,” Zach declares, trying to break himself of the embarrassment coating his cheeks.

“You wanna go to Rosie’s?”

“Their cheese fries are so good.”

“To Rosie’s it is then, but I’m still going to make you read over this damn essay. A deal is a deal.”

“Alright, alright,” he says, waving you off with a grin.

As he loads his bookbag up, you pull out your phone, unable to wipe the smirk off your face as you finally send a reply to Justin, letting him down as gently as possible. As the two of you head out to Zach’s car, the phone buzzes again.

“ **I never stood a chance did I? (; It’s okay, you guys are great together. I’ll see the both of you on Friday.** ”


End file.
